WRITING  FOR  THE  PRESS 


A     MANUAL 


FOR 


Editors,  Reporters,  Correspondents,  and    Printers 


THIRD  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  ENLARGED 


BY  ROBERT   LUCE 


BOSTON  : 
THE  WRITER  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1889 


COPYRIGHT, 
1886,   1888  and  1889, 

By. 
ROBERT   LUCE. 


Geo.  B.  King,  Printer,  105  Summer  St.,  Boston. 


PHI 


Jftf 


"  Be  thou  familiar,  but  by  no  means  vulgar" — 

SHAKESPEARE. 

"  Of  all  those  arts  in  which  the  wise  excel, 
JVature's  chief  masterpiece  is  writing  well.'1'' — 

SHEFFIELD,    DUKE   OF   BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

"  True  ease  in  writing  comes  from  art,  not  chance. 
As  those  move  easiest  who  have  learned  to  dance" — 

POPE. 

"  The  more  general  the  terms  are,  the  picture  is  the  fainter;  the  more  special 
-they  are,  the  brighter." — 

CAMPBELL. 

"  If  men  would  only  say  what  they  have  to  say  in  plain  terms,  how  much  more 
eloquent  they  would  be  !  " — 

COLERIDGE. 

"  One  of  the  greatest  of  all  faults  in  speaking  and  writing  is  this :  the  using  of 
many  words  to  say  little" — 

COBBETT. 

"Accuracy  of  expression  is  the  most  essential  element  of  a  good  style;  and 
inaccurate  "writing  is  generally  the  expression  of  inaccurate  thinking" — 

RICHARD   GRANT   WHITE. 

"  And  if  in  no  other  way,  vet,  as  facilitating  revision,  a  knowledge  of  the  thing 
to  be  achieved — a  clear  idea  of  what  constitutes  a  beauty,  and  what  a  blemish — 
cannot  fail  to  be  of  service." — 

HERBERT   SPENCER. 

"  When  a  short  word  will  do,  you  always  lose  by  using  a  long  one.  You  lose 
in  clearness:  you  lose  in  honest  expression  of  your  meaning;  and,  in  the  estiniatic-n 
of  all  men  who  are  qualified  to  judge,  you  lose  in  reputation  for  ability" — 

DEAN   ALFORD. 


360150 


WRITING  FOR  THE  PRESS. 


PRINTER'S    COPY. 

1.  Paper  from  eight  to  ten  inches  long,  and  from  five  to  six 
inches  wide,  is  the  most  convenient  for  everybody  concerned  in 
writing  for  the  press.     Avoid  paper  of  letter  size,  and  never  use 
a  foolscap  sheet.     Should  only  folded  paper  be  at  hand,  tear  or 
cut  it  into  single  sheets. 

2.  Writers  for  the  press  use  colored  paper  when  they  can  get 
it,  as  it  is  better  for  the  eyes  of  writer,  editor,  compositor,  and 
proof-reader.     The  usual  colors  are  yellow,  orange,  or  brown,  in 
light  shades.     If  you   cannot  get  it  from  a  stationer,  order  it 
through  a  printer,  or  get  it   at  a  paper  warehouse,    and  have 
it  cut  to  the  desired  size.     Ordinary  wrapping  paper  is  not  bad 
for  copy. 

3.  Many   writers    prefer    unruled    paper,    and    there    is    no 
objection  to  its  use  for  copy,  provided  the  lines  are  written  far 
enough  apart.     Close  writing  is  objectionable,  and  it  is  better 
to  err  in  the  other  direction. 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


4.  Use  a  pen  whenever  possible,  and  in  these  days  of  stylo- 
graphic  and  fountain  pens  it  is  generally  possible.     Do  not  use 
a  pencil  with  hard  lead  on  white  or  any  calendered  paper.     An 
automatic  pencil  with  colored    or   soft  black  lead  is  the  best- 
thing  to  use  in  editing  copy,  but  do  not  use  it  with  black  lead 
on  yellow  paper.     Editors  and  printers  detest  copy  written  with 
a  very  fine  pen  or  with  pale  ink.     Throw  pale  ink  away. 

5.  Never  write  on  both  sides  of  the  sheet. 

6.  Leave  a  margin  of  half  an  inch  at  both  top  and  bottom 
of  each  page,  for  convenience   in  pasting.     The  side  margins 
are  not  of  so  much  consequence,  but  they  make  the  page  look 
better  and  are  often  useful  to  the  editor. 

7.  Do  not  fasten  the  sheets  of  a  manuscript  together  in  any 
way.     Pins  betray  the  novice. 

8.  Number  each  page  at  the  top,  either  in  the  middle  or  at 
the  right-hand  corner.      Draw  a  quarter  circle  or  two  straight 
lines  under  the  number.      If   new  pages    are   inserted  in  the 
middle  of  an  article,  say  after  Page  9,  number. them  9  A,  96, 
gC,  etc.     If  pages  are  taken  out,  say  from   10  to   14  inclusive, 
number  the  ninth  page  "9-14,"  or  the  fifteenth  page,  "  10-15." 
It  is  a  common  and  often  useful  practise  to  choose  arbitrarily 
some   letter   and  put  it   after  every  page   number  in   any  one 
article ;    for    instance,    if   the    Providence    correspondent    of   a 
Boston  paper  numbers  his  Sunday  letter  pages,  "  ix,  2x,  3X," 
etc.,  confusion  will  be  avoided  if  the  pages  should  happen  to  get 
mixed  up  with  those   of  the  Portland  correspondent  who   has 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


numbered  his,  "iz,  2z,  3z,"  etc.  Some  story  writers  number 
each  chapter  by  itself,  a  bad  practice,  but  one  that  can  be 
tolerated  if  to  the  sheets  of  each  chapter  are  also  given  a  letter 
in  common,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  sheets  of  other  chapters. 

9.  Write   legibly.      By   writing  illegibly  you   always   do    an 
injury  to  the  editor,  the  compositor,  and  the  proof-reader,  and 
often  do  one  to  yourself.    Be  especially  careful  with  foreign  and 
other  unusual   words.     The   capitals,  /  and  J,  are  often   con- 
founded ;  so  are  the  small  letters  r,  n,  u,  v,  zv,  and  m. 

10.  If  in  reading  your  own  copy  or  editing  another's  you  find 
single  letters  or  words  that  are  illegible,  write  others  plainly 
above  them.     It  is  needless  to  erase  and  replace  them. 

11.  Be  particular  to  write  the  names  of  persons  plainly,  and 
above  all  spell  them  correctly.     Nothing  gives  the  editor,  the 
compositor,  and  the  proof-reader  more  annoyance  than  careless- 
ness in  this  respect.     If  a   name  is  worth   printing  at  all,  it  is 
worth  printing  right. 

12.  Reporters  and  others  who  must  write  swiftly  often  find 
it  of  advantage  to  have  acquired   the  habit  of  writing  without 
taking  the  pen  from  the  paper,  except  to  dot  "i's"  and   put 
in  punctuation  marks.     The  connecting  of  words  by  long  pen 
strokes  makes  copy  hardly  less  legible,  and  certainly  saves  much 
time.     Of  course  when  time  permits  it  is   better  to  make  the 
words  wholly  distinct.     The  wise  writer  will   make   a  study  of 
penmanship  with   an  eye  to  speed      One  hint  may  be  given  : 
Learn  to  write  the  letter  "t"  without  making  a  separate  stroke 
to  cross  it. 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


13.  To  save  time,  "and  "  may  be  written  &  with  a  semi-circle 
after  and  half  enclosing  it,     In  general,  curves  or,  better,  full 
circles  round  abbreviations  indicate  that  they  are  to  be  spelled 
out ;   e.  g.,  Col.  encircled  will  be  printed  Colonel;   N.  K,  New 
York ;  9,  nine.      Vice  versa,  a  circle  round  a  word  means  that  it 
is  to  be  abbreviated  ;  e.  g.,  Massachusetts  encircled  will  be  printed 
Mass.;  nine,  g. 

14.  The  practice  of  abbreviating  in  copy  can  of  course  be 
carried  too  far,  but  it  is  safe  to  abbreviate  most  titles,  many 
given  names,  the  names  of  days  and  months,  and  to  use  easily 
understood  contractions  like  "com^,"  "eve.,"  "Dem.,"  "Rep.," 
with  curves  like  parentheses  tipped  over,  above  and  below  the 
last  letter. 

15.  Make  frequent  paragraphs  and  always  put  the  paragraph 
mark,  IF,  before  every  one ;   it  is  advisable  also  to  put  the  mark 
after  every  one.     In  many  newspaper  offices  the  compositor  is 
supposed  never  to  put  a  paragraph  where  it  is  not  marked.     In 
editing  your  own  or  another's  copy,  you  can  make  a  paragraph 
where  you  choose  by  inserting  the  mark.     Copy  looks  better  and 
is  more  legible  when  the  paragraphs  are  begun  at  some  distance 
in  from  the  edge  of  the  sheet. 

1 6.  Avoid  ending  a  paragraph  with  the  first  or  second  line 
on  a  page ;   that  bothers   and  vexes    the    compositor.     Rather 
compress  the  writing  at  the  bottom  of  one  page  than  carry  a  few 
words  over  to  the  next. 


Writing  for  the  Press 


17.  When  the  last  word  on  a  page  ends  a  sentence  and  does 
not  end  a  paragraph,  follow  it  with  a  large  caret.     When  you 
have   made   a   break  in   the   middle   of  a  page,  and   afterward 
decide  not  to  have  any  IT,  elide  it,  put  a  caret  after  the  last  word 
before  the  break,  and  another  before  the  first  word  after  the 
break.     The    same   idea   may  be   conveyed    by  a  curving  line 
connecting  the  last  word   before   and   the   first  word   after  the 
break. 

1 8.  In  cancelling,  be  careful  to  show  clearly  where  the  cancel- 
lation begins  and  where  it  ends.     Not  only  make  the  cancelling 
lines  distinct,  but  if  the  cancellation  comes  in  the  middle  of  a 
paragraph,  put  a  caret  before  and  another  after  it,  or  connect  the 
last  word  before  and  the  first  word  after  it  with  a  heavy  curving 
line.     If  you  regret  a  cancellation  before  the  sheet  leaves  your 
hands,  you  may  save  the  trouble  of  re-writing  by  putting  in  the 
margin  the  word  stet  (Latin  for  "  let  it  stand  ") ;  the  better  way 
when  time  allows  is  to  re-write  the  cancelled  passage.     If  only  a 
few  words  have  been  cancelled,  in  addition  to  the  marginal  " stet" 
make  a  dotted  line  under  the  cancelled  words. 

19.  If  in  editing  your  own  or  another's  copy  you  wish  to  elide 
a  letter,  draw  an  oblique  line  through  it  downward  from  right  to 
left.     If  you  wish  to  change  a  capital  to  a  small  letter,  draw  an 
oblique  line  through  it  downward  from  left  to  right.     If  you  wish 
to  change  a  small  letter  to  a  capital,  draw  three  lines  under  it. 
One   line   under  words   means   that   they  are  to   be  printed   in 
italics;  two  lines,  SMALL  CAPS;  three  lines,  FULL    CAPS. 

20.  Begin  every  sentence  with  a  capital  letter.     If  it  is  not 
clear  that  the  letter  as  written  is  a  capital,  draw  three  lines  under 


i  o                                    Writing  for  the  Press. 
J 


it.  When  you  cancel  the  first  few  words  of  a  sentence,  or  when 
you  break  a  sentence  in  two,  draw  three  lines  under  the  first 
letter  of  the  first  uncancelled  word,  or  the  first  word  of  the  new 
sentence,  and  thus  save  the  time  and  trouble  of  writing  a  capital 
over  the  small  letter. 

21.  Avoid  division  of  words  at  the  end  of  lines.     In  cutting 
"copy"  into  "takes"  in  the  composing-room,  divided  words  often 
make  trouble.     A  good  compositor  studies  to  avoid  divisions. 
Never  divide  a  word  at  the  end  of  a  page. 

22.  For  the  sake  of  clearness  accustom  yourself  to  encircle 
every  period  that  ends  a  sentence.     After  a  little  practise  you 
will   do   this  almost   involuntarily.     It  often   saves  editor  and 
compositor  much  trouble.     Some  writers  prefer  the  short-hand 
period,  a  small  cross  with  the  right-hand  points  joined  so  that  it 
can  be  made  without  lifting  the  pen  from  the  paper.     Clearly 
distinguish  colons  from  semi-colons. 

23.  In  adding  more  than  a  few  words  to  copy,  it  is  far  better 
to   cut  the  sheet  and  paste  in  the  new  lines  than  to  interline 
or  to  write  the  additions  on  the  margin.     It  is  not  necessary 
that  the  sheets  shall  be  all  the  same  length,  though  of  course  that 
makes  the  manuscript  more  presentable.     When  a  leaf  has  been 
lengthened  by  pasting,  you  may,  for  the  sake  of  convenience, 
fold  the  lower  edge  forward  upon  the  writing;   if  it  is  folded 
backward,  it  may  escape  notice  and  to  insert  it  may  afterward 
cause  much  trouble. 

24.  In  writing  a  foot-note,  let  it  immediately  follow  the  line 
of  text  that  contains  the  asterisk,  or  other  reference  mark,  and 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


do  not  write  it  at  the  bottom  of  the  manuscript  page.     He  who 
makes  up  the  matter  will  transfer  such  note  to  its  proper  place. 

25.  A  proof  of  any  cut  to  be  used  in  illustrating  an  article 
should  be  pasted  as  near  as  possible  in  the  proper  place  in  copy. 
If  a  proof  cannot  be  had,  leave  a  space  in  copy,  and  write  in  it, 
"  Here  Cut,"  with  the  title  of  the  illustration.     If  the  cut  has  not 
been  made,  send  the  drawing  on  a  separate  sheet  and  indicate 
in  copy  in  the  way  described,  just  where  the  cut  is  to  go. 

26.  When   writing  in   dialect,   or    quoting   a   sentence    with 
mis-spelled  words  which  you  want  printed  just  as  written,  put 
the  direction,   "  Follow  copy,"  in  the  margin.      Do    the    same 
when   in   a  matter  of  spelling,   abbreviation,  capitalization,  or 
punctuation  you  wish  to  follow  a  style  different  from  that  of  the 
office  to  which  your  manuscript  is  going. 

27.  Never  roll  sheets  that  are  to  be  sent  to  an  editor.     Copy 
once  rolled  can  never  be  made  perfectly  flat  again,  and  is  a 
nuisance  to  everybody  who  handles  it  afterward.     Furthermore, 
round  packages  are  likely  to  get  into  the  newspaper  mail,  and 
be  delayed  or  lost.     Also  it  is  hard  to  remove  the  wrapper  from 
a  rolled  manuscript  without  tearing  some  of  the  sheets.     It  does 
not  make  much  difference  whether  short  manuscripts  are  sent 
folded  or  flat,  though  of  course  the  flat  method  is  preferable. 

COMPOSITION. 

28.  After  you  learn,  it  is  just  as  easy  to  write  good  English  as 
bad  English.     Why  not  learn  ?     In  return  for  a  little  trouble  at 
the  start  you  will  stand  higher  in  the  estimation  of  all  educated 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


people  and  will  not  stand  lower  in  the  estimation  of  the  unedu- 
cated. Perhaps  only  one  man  in  a  hundred  will  appreciate  your 
good  English,  but  is  he  not  the  only  man  in  the  hundred  whose 
appreciation  is  worth  caring  for  ? 

29.  Study  to  avoid  stiffness  in  beginning.     Never  hesitate  to 
jump  into  the  middle  of  things.     Introductions,  when  necessary, 
should  be  brief. 

30.  Let    clearness    be    the    first    consideration,    brevity    the 
second,   and    remember  that   metaphor   is   briefer  than   literal 
statement.    "  Brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit,"  and  Polonius  in  saying  so 
put  it  better  and  briefer  than  if  he  had  said  it  is  "the  animating 
part  of  wit." 

31.  Prefer  the  First  Person  to  the  Third  Person  wherever 
it   will    not    appear   egotistic.      The    First    Person   gives    more 
personality,  more  life  to  the  sentences.     When  you  mean  "  I," 
say  "I,"  and  not  "your  humble  servant,"  nor  "the  pen  pusher," 
nor  "the   scribe,"   nor  any  of  the   thousand   and   one   equally 
useless  and  stilted  paraphrases.     "  The  editor,"  "  the  reporter," 
and  "the  correspondent"  are  phrases  pardonable  in  newspaper 
writing,  but  are  to  be  avoided ;  and  when  the  article  is  signed, 
are   needless.     Usage  has   not  yet  sanctioned  the   "  I  "  in   an 
unsigned  newspaper  article  when  referring  to   the   writer,  but 
good  taste  long  ago  condemned  the  use  of  "  we  "  for  the  same 
purpose.     The  tendency  of  the  day  is  to  discard  "  we  "  even  in 
editorial  writing,  when  used  with  specific  significance. 

32.  Direct  quotation  is  more  forcible  than  indirect;  "/  am 
shot,1"  he  said  is  far  preferable  to,  He  said  he  was  shot.     Direct 


Writing  for  the  Press,  1 3 


quotation  is  especially  to  be  preferred  in  newspaper  writing, 
both  because  it  is  more  spirited,  and  because  it  is  more  easily 
handled. 

33.  Florid  writing,  oddities  of  style,  grotesque  phrases,  and 
obsolete  words  may  give  a  temporary  popularity,  but  the  public 
soon  wearies  of  second-rate  Carlyles.  The  best  foundation  for 
success  as  a  writer  is  the  ability  to  write  easily,  naturally,  as 
you  would  talk.  The  power  to  make  a  simple  narration  may  be 
developed  into  the  power  to  arouse  the  deepest  emotions,  but 
only  a  fool  will  try  to  begin  building  his  house  at  the  roof. 

34.  The  habit  of  "  writing  against  space  "  is  the  greatest  literary 
danger  to  a  young  newspaper  writer.     When  you  have  expressed 
one  idea  clearly  and  tersely,  go  on  to  the  next.     Above  all  things, 
stop  when  you  have  done. 

SOME     GRAMMATICAL     QUESTIONS. 

35.  "The  best  way,"    says  Richard  Grant  White,  "is  to  give 
yourself  no  trouble  at  all  about  your  grammar.      Read  the  best 
authors,  converse  with  the  best  speakers,  and  know  what  you  mean 
to  say,  and  you  will  speak  and  write  good  English,  and  may  let 
grammar  go  to  its  own  place."      There  is  much  truth  in  this,  but 
we  cannot  all  and  cannot  always  converse  with  the  best  speakers, 
and  many  of  us  are  obliged  to  read  the  productions  of  very  poor 
authors,  so  that  even  the  best  of  us  are  puzzled  sometimes  to  know 
what  is  the  best  form  to  use.     Some  of  the  more  common  of  the 
questions  that  arise  are  treated  below ;  others  are  treated  under  the 
head  of  "Words  and  Phrases." 


14  Writing  J or  t/ie  Press. 


The  pronoun  standing  for  a  noun  of  multitude  (sometimes 
called  a  collective  noun)  is  used  in  the  singular  if  the  idea  of  unity 
is  to  be  conveyed,  and  in  the  plural  if  the  idea  of  plurality  is  to  be 
conveyed.  The  number  of  a  verb  after  a  noun  of  multitude  is 
determined  in  the  same  way ;  e.  g.,  "  The  mob  comes  on  in  one 
compact  body  and  it  hurls  itself  at  the  gates  "  ;  "The  mob  now 
scatter  in  every  direction  and  yell  as  they  move  off"  ;  "  The  lodge 
will  attend  the  funeral  and  it  will  march  to  the  cemetery"  ;  "At  the 
last  meeting  of  the  lodge  they  disagreed  on  that  matter."  When  in 
doubt,  it  is  safer  to  use  the  singular. 

Never  write  a  personal  pronoun  without  duly  considering  to 
what  noun  it  will  be  found  to  relate,  upon  the  reading  of  a  sentence. 
The  careless  use  of  the  personal  pronouns  is  a  source  of 
great  annoyance  to  news-editors,  particularly  when  it  occurs  in 
reports  of  trials.  It  is  always  better  to  repeat  a  name  than  to  use 
a  pronoun  when  there  will  be  uncertainty  as  to  its  antecedent.  The 
use  of  direct  quotation  rather  than  indirect,  often  obviates  the 
difficulty. 

Use  the  comparative  degree  when  comparing  only  two  things  ; 
e.  g.,  "  He  is  the  elder  of  the  two  brothers  "  ;  but,  "  He  is  the 
youngs/  of  the  trio." 

Adverbs  should  be  placed  as  near  as  possible  to  the  words 
they  modify. 

After  all  forms  of  the  verb  to  /;<?,  use  the  same  case  as  that 
which  precedes  it.  Do  not  say,  "  It  was  me,  "  or  "  I  knowjyoji2 


to  be/he^ 


Writing  for  the  Press.  15 

Where  two  or  more  singular  nominatives  are  separated  by  or, 
nor,  as  well  as,  or  other  disjunctive,  the  verb  should  be  in  the 
singular ;  but  if  either  nominative  is  plural,  the  verb  also  should 
be  plural. 

.  The  active  infinitive  must  be  treated  as  one  word,  and, 
therefore,  must  not  be  separated.  It  is  as  bad  to  say,  "  To 
properly  write,"  as  it  would  be  to  say,  "con  often  flict,"  for 
"often  conflict." 

Shall  and  Will.  I  shall,  you  will,  he  will,  are  the  forms  of 
the  future,  and  merely  foretell  what  will  take  place  :  I  will,  you 
shall,  he  shall,  are  the  forms  of  the  potential,  and  express  will  or 
determination  on  the  part  of  the  speaker.  Will  in  the  first 
person  expresses  a  resolution  or  promise ;  it  must  never  be  used 
in  questions  with  nominative  cases  in  the  first  person.  Would  and 
should  follow  will  and  shall. 

The  careless  use  of  the  present  tense  for  the  future  often 
annoys  news-editors.  Say,  "  Mr.  B.  will  preach  two  weeks  from 
today  "  ;  not,  "  Mr.  B.  preaches  two  weeks  from  today." 

Shall  we  say  "She  looks  pretty,"  or  "  She  looks  prettily"? 
If  you  mean  to  describe  her  appearance,  use  the  former ;  if  her 
mode  of  looking, —  for  instance,  if  she  holds  her  opera  glass 
gracefully, —  use  the  latter.  Whenever  manner  is  to  be  expressed, 
use  the  adverb ;  whenever  quality  is  to  be  expressed,  use  the 
adjective.  Putting  the  rule  in  another  form  :  Verbs  of  doing  take 
the  adverb  :  verbs  of  seeming  and  being  take  the  adjective  ;  e.  g., 
"  He  walks  slowly,  his  voice  sound  $  harsh,  he  limps  painfully,  his 
breath  smells  bad,  his  coat  feels  rough,  and  he  acts  strangely" 


i6 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


Transitive  verbs  must  have  an  object ;  intransitive  verbs  do 
not  admit  of  an  object.  Errors  are  very  frequently  made  in  the 
use  of  the  following  six  verbs  : 


Present. 

Past 

Participle. 

Transitive 

Lay 

Laid 

Laid 

(action) 

Intransitive 

Lie 

Lay 

Lain 

(rest) 

Transitive 

Set 

Set 

Set 

(action) 

Intransitive 

Sit 

Sat 

Sat 

(rest) 

Transitive 

Raise 

Raised 

Raised 

Intransitive 

Rise 

Rose 

Risen 

RIGHT  : 

He  lays  the  book  on  the  table. 

He  lies  on  the  bed. 

He  lay  on  the  bed  and  laid  the  book  on  the  table. 

After  he  had  lain  awhile  and  had  laid  the  book  on  the  table,. 

he  rose,  raised  the  book,  and  sat  down  where  he  had  set 

the  chair. 
WRONG  : 

I  will  lay  down  awhile. 

He  raised  up  and  then  he  set  still. 

I  sat  him  in  the  chair. 

When  a  conjunction  indicates  some  uncertainty,  use  the 
subjunctive  after  it ;  when  anything  is  spoken  of  as  an  actual 
fact,  or  as  in  absolute  existence,  the  indicative  is  used.  Compare 
the  following  correct  sentences  :  "  Do  not  give  him  the  money 
unless  he  return  you  the  goods";  "  Though  friends  be  false,  yet 
will  1  do  my  duty  "  ;  "Though  her  chastity  is  right  and  becoming, 
it  gives  her  no  claim  to  praise ;  because  she  would  be  criminal  if 


Writing  for  the  Press.  1 7 

she  was  not  chaste."  Parry  Gvvynne  has  well  illustrated  this  knotty 
point :  "Thus  a  gentleman,  giving  an  order  to  his  tailor,  may  say, 
*  Make  me  a  coat ;  if  \\.fit  me  well,  I  will  give  you  another  order ;  ' 
because  the  '  fit '  alluded  to  is  a  thing  which  the  future  has  to 
determine.  But  when  the  coat  is  made  and  brought  home,  he 
cannot  say,  '  If  this  cloth  be  good,  I  will  give  you  another  order,' 
for  the  quality  of  the  cloth  is  already  determined ;  the  future  will 
not  alter  it.  It  must  be  rendered  in  the  indicative  mood,  '  If  this 
cloth  is  good,'  etc." 

Lack  of  space  forbids  detailed  discussion  of  the  errors  in  the 
following  sentences,  most  of  which  were  taken  from  newspapers  of 
recent  date.  It  is  hoped  that  the  correct  form  or  the  slight 
explanation  in  brackets  may  indicate  the  mistake  clearly  enough  : 

"  He  is  sure  of  the  bill  [bill's]  passing  the  House." 

"  Unless  Rhode  Island  should  some  time  surrender  one  of  her 
superfluous  capitals."  [Rhode  Island  has  but  two  capitals,  and 
both  cannot  be  superfluous.] 

"  From  the  report  of  the  grand  secretary  of  Odd  Fellowship 
in  Massachusetts,  it  appears  that  the  order  is  now  the  largest,  in 
point  of  membership,  of  any  similar  organization  in  the  state." 
[How  can  it  be  "  the  largest  of  any  similar  organization  "  ?] 

"  One  of  the  most  valuable  books  that  has  [have]  appeared 
in  any  language." 

"  I  am  one  of  those  who  cannot  describe  what  I  [they]  do 
not  see." 


1 8  Writing  for  the  Press. 

"The  Legislature  meets  today,  and  Mr.  Smith  speaks  to 
them  [it]." 

"Who  [whom]  do  you  mean?" 
"He  is  much  stronger  than  me  [I]." 

"Great  was  the  generalship  and  various  the  contrivances." 
[The  verb  must  be  repeated.] 

"It  is  me  [I]." 
"It  is  him  [he]." 

"  Neither  Republican  nor  Democrat  say  [  says  ]  anything  on 
this  point." 

"  I  have  made  no  change,  nor  shall  I  ever  [make  any]." 
•"I  meant  to  have  written  [to  write]." 

'"  The  shoe  factory  are  [is]  employing  only  about  two-thirds 
of  their  [its]  usual  help*'  [Query — Is  "  help  "  permissible?] 

"  Her  parents  are  entitled,  as  they  are  receiving,  the  sympathy 
of  their  friends."  [At  best  a  poor  sentence,  but  only  permissible 
when  to  is  supplied  after  entitled.'} 

"  Cornering  the  distinguished  lecturer  in  the  green-room,  Mr. 
Beecher  entered  into  an  animated  talk  upon  his  part  in  public 
affairs."  [The  reporter  was  the  man  who  "cornered,"  not 
Mr.  Beecher.] 


Writing  for  the  Press.  19 

"  Benson's  testimony,  like  that  of  the  preceding  witness,  was 
not  conclusive  nor  convincing  in  any  particular,  having  a  convenient 
•memory  on  direct  examination,  and  rather  unpleasant  results  accrued 
when  attempting  retrospective  under  the  fire  of  the  cross-examina- 
tion." [Did  the  testimony  have  the  memory?] 

"  Believing  that  the  writer  was  a  '  spotter,'  a  huge  fist  collided 
with  his  nose,  after  which  he  was  fired  out,  since  which  time  he  has 
not  been  seen."  [Did  the  fist  believe?] 

"The  torch  was  applied,  and  when  raging  with  fury  three 
grenades  were  thrown  from  a  distance  of  about  forty  feet,  and 
inside  of  fifteen  seconds  the  flames  were  extinguished."  [How 
could  a  torch  rage  with  fury  ?] 

"  The  Mann  boudoir  car  '  Carmen '  left  here  today  for 
Richmond,  whence  she  will  haul  a  party  to  the  Exposition."  [Can 
a  car  haul  a  party  ?] 

"All  persons  desirous  of  obtaining  real  [really]  good  gloves." 
"  I  doubt  if  [whether]  this  will  ever  reach  you." 
"  It  is  very  rarely  [rare]  that  this  happens." 

WORDS    AND    PHRASES. 

36.  Generally  Anglo-Saxon  words  convey  the  idea  more  simply 
and  more  directly  than  words  of  French,  Latin,  or  Greek  origin. 

37.  N'ever  use  French,  Latin,  or  Greek  words,  phrases,  or  idioms 
where  English  words,  phrases,  or  idioms  will  do  just  as  well. 


20  Writing  for  the  Press. 

38.  Call  a  spade  a  spade,  and  if  you  do  not  want  to  call  it  a 
spade,  do  not  speak  about  it. 

39.  Avoid  repetition  of  words  as  much  as  possible,  but  never 
hesitate  to  repeat  where  the  substitution  of  any  other  word  will 
cloud  the  meaning.     Never  strain  language  for  the  sake  of  using  a. 
synonym.    "  I  learned  from  Macaulay,"  says  Freeman,  the  historian, 
"  never  to  be  afraid  of  using  the  same  word  or  name  over  and  over 
again,  if  by  that  means  anything  could  be  added  to  clearness  or 
force."     Avoid  the  former  and  the  latter  where  possible. 

40.  The  repetition  of  the  same  meaning  in  slightly  different  words, 
is  a  worse  fault  than  the  repetition  of  the  same  word. 

41.  Of  two  words  that  mean  alike,  use  the  shorter. 

42.  Other  things  being  equal,  the  simpler  and  briefer  form  should 
be  chosen.    From  all  the  following  phrases  it  is  better,  for  brevity's 
sake,    to    omit   the    particle :      Accept  of,  address   to,   admit  of, 
approve  of,   ascend  up,  attain  to,  breed  up,  bridge  over,  combine 
together,  connect  together',  continue  on,  converse  together,  cover  over, 
crave  for,  curb  in,  descend  down,  deliver  up,  enter  in,  examine  into, 
fill  up,  follow  after,  forbear  from,  freshen  up,  lift  up,  meet  together ; 
mix  up,  open  up,   remember  of,    restore  back,    return  back,    rise  up, 
seek  for,  slur  over,  taste  of,  trace  out,  treat  upon. 

43.  In  the  following,  omit  the  words  in  brackets  :    First  [of  all], 
last  [of  all],  the  [latter]  end,   the  [last]  end,  [over]  again,  nobody 
[else]  but  him,  [most]  perfect,  I  may  [perhaps],  throughout  tb~ 
[whole],  the  [universal]  regard  of  all  his  neighbors. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  21 


44.  Lack  of  space  forbids  extended  explanation  of  the  words 
and  phrases  given  below.  If  you  do  not  see  at  a  glance  the  reason 
for  the  directions  given,  look  up  the  words  in  the  dictionary.  In 
some  cases  authorities  differ,  but  the  best  authorities  favor  the 
positions  I  have  taken.  Certain  words  like  reliable,  and  certain 
phrases  like  as  though,  have  the  support  of  many  writers  ;  but  it  is 
just  as  easy  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  using  trustworthy  and  as  if,  as 
it  is  to  be  on  the  doubtful  side.  Follow  the  best  usage  and  you 
cannot  be  criticised. 

A.  Used  before  words  beginning  with  a  consonant  sound, 
whether  the  consonant  is  expressed  or  understood  ;  e.  g.,  a  book, 
a  useful  book,  such  a  one,  a  university,  a  European.  Use  an  before 
words  begininng  with  h,  in  which  the  h  is  not  sounded ;  e.  g., 
heir,  herb,  honest,  honor,  hostler,  hour,  and  their  compounds  that 
begin  with  //.  Before  words  of  more  than  two  syllables  beginning 
•with  //,  use  an  when  there  is  either  a  primary  or  a  secondary 
accent  on  the  second  syllable,  otherwise  use  a;  e.  g.,  an  historical 
fact,  a  history,  an  heroic  poem  (but  a  hero),  a  hierarchy. 

Abortive.  Means  "  untimely  in  its  birth,"  and  so,  "  brought 
out  before  it  is  well  matured."  A  plan  may  be  abortive,  but  an 
act  cannot. 

Above.  Wrongly  used  in  such  phrases  as  these :  "  The 
above  statement,"  "Above  her  strength,"  "  Above  a  mile  away;" 
say  instead,  "  The  foregoing  statement,"  ."  JBeyond\\er  strength," 
"  More  than  a  mile  away." 

Accord.     Often  made  a  stilted  substitute  for  give. 


22  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Administer.  You  can  administer  governments,  oaths, 
medicine,  but  not  blows  nor  punishment ;  they  are  dealt  or  given^ 

Adopt.  A  stilted  substitute  for  take  in  such  phrases  as, 
"  What  course  shall  you  adopt?  " 

Aggravate.  Means  to  add  to  the  weight  of;  e.  g.,  "  to 
aggravate  an  offence."  Not  equivalent  to  irritate  or  vex. 

Ain't.     Very  vulgar. 

All.  Rhetoricians  say  that  all  the  land  should  be  the  whole 
land.  Confine  #//to  matters  of  number. 

Allude.  Means  to  indicate  jocosely,  to  hint  at  playfully,  and 
so  to  hint  at  in  a  slight,  passing  manner  ;  not  equivalent  to  refer, 
speak  of.  Allusion  is  the  by-play  of  language. 

Alone.  Always  an  adjective,  and  adjectives  never  modify 
verbs.  See  Only. 

Alternative.  Means  "  a  choice  of  two  things."  How 
can  there  be  "  two  alternatives  "  or  "  another  alternative  "  ? 

Amateur.  Do  not  confound  with  novice.  An  amateur  may 
be  an  artist  of  great  experience  and  skill,  but  he  is  not  ^professional 
artist.  A  novice  is  a  beginner,  a  tyro. 

Ameliorate.  An  awkward  word  that  should  not  be  used 
where  improve  will  do  as  well. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  23 


And.  Cannot  properly  be  used  before  which  or  who,  unless 
there  has  been  a  preceding  which  or  who  in  the  same  sentence 
and  in  the  same  construction.  See  That,  who,  which. 

Antecedents.     Generally  say  previous  life  or,  better,  past 

Anticipate.  Do  not  use  for  expect,  look  forward  to.  Anti- 
cipate means  to  take  or  act  before  another,  to  take  before  the  proper 
time,  or  to  foretaste. 

Any.  In  the  phrase  not  any  there  are  six  letters  ;  in  the 
word  no  there  are  only  two.  Yet  many  reporters  will  write,  "  There 
were  not  any  boys  present." 

Anybody  else's.     Should  be  anybody's  else. 

Appear,  seem.  The  meaning  common  to  these  words 
is  that  of  strike  one  as  being.  Substitute  the  phrase  for  the 
word  in  such  sentences  as  these  :  "  There  seems  to  be  little  meat 
in  the  book;"  "They  appear  to  be  men  of  judgment."  You 
will  at  once  see  that  to  be  is  redundant.  Because  to  be  is  very 
often  used  in  this  way,  is  no  reason  why  the  student  of  condensa- 
tion should  not  avoid  it. 

Appertains.  Has  two  letters  more  than  pertains  and  no- 
more  meaning. 

Appreciate.  Do  not  confound  with  value  or  prize.  To 
appreciate  means  to  estimate  justly  ;  hence  you  cannot  appreciate  a 
person  or  thing  highly.  Land,  stocks,  grain  do  not  appreciate  iti 
value  ;  they  rise  in  value. 


24  Writing  for  the  Press. 


Apprehend.  Sometimes  used  as  a  pompous  synonym  for 
think,  fancy,  imagine. 

Apt.  Aptness  and  liability  both  express  conditions, —  one  of 
fitness  and  readiness,  the  other  of  exposure. 

Artist.  It  may  be  funny  to  refer  to  a  barber  or  a  bootblack 
as  an  artist,  but  it  is  not  in  good  taste  in  serious  writing. 

As.     Do  not  say,  "  Not  as  I  know,"  but,  "  Not  that  I  know." 
Ascertain.     Longer  than  find  out. 

Assist.  Instead  of  assist  and  assistance,  in  most  cases  it  is 
better  to  use  help,  which  is  shorter  and  simpler. 

As  though.     Do  not  use  for  as  if. 

(1)  He  talks  as  (he  would  talk]  though  he  were  educated. 

(2)  He  talks  as  (he  would  talk)  if  he  were  educated. 

The  distinction  may  be  made  clearer  by  substituting  although 
for  though  in  ( i ) . 

As  well.  Do  not  use  as  a  synonym  for  also;  e.  g.,  say, 
"Jones  came  also,"  and  not,  "Jones  came  as  well." 

At  length.     Do  not  use  for  at  last. 

Attendance.  Awkwardly  used  in  such  phrases  as,  "A  large 
attendance  was  present."  It  is  shorter  and  simpler  to  say,  "The 
attendance  was  large." 

Audience.  An  assembly  of  hearers.  There  can  be  no 
audience  at  a  gymnastic  performance,  a  pantomime,  a  boat-race,  a 
sparring  match,  and  the  like. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  25 

Authoress.  The  best  usage  does  not  countenance  the 
words  authoress  and  poetess. 

Avocation.  Not  synonymous  with  "vocation.  A  man's 
vocation  is  his  calling,  his  business ;  his  avocations  are  the  things 
that  occupy  him  incidentally.  For  instance,  amateur  photography 
is  an  avocation  of  many  men. 

Awful.     Vulgarly  substituted  for  very. 

Balance.  Do  not  use  in  the  sense  of  rest,  remainder, 
residuum,  or  remnant. 

Beside — Besides.  It  is  better  to  use  beside  for  by  the  side 
of;  besides  for  in  addition  to. 

Between.  Must  not  be  applied  to  more  than  two  things 
at  once. 

Both.  In  "You  and  I  both  think"  the  both  is  useless.  The 
same  is  true  in  "These  two  books  are  both  alike." 

Bound.  Do  not  use  in  the  sense  of  determined.  "I  am 
bound  to  do  it,"  unless  there  is  an  obligation,  should  be,  "I  am 
determined  to  do  it." 

Bountiful.  Do  not  confound  with  plentiful.  Bountiful 
means  liberal,  beneficent,  kind. 

Bring.  Expresses  motion  toward,  not  away.  Fetch  expresses 
a  double  motion — first  from  and  then  tgward  the  speaker. 

Build.  Preferable  to  erect.  Built  is  shorter  than  erected  or 
constructed. 


26  Writing  for  the  Ptess. 

Burst.  The  imperfect  and  the  past  participle  is  burst,  not 
bursted. 

But.  Used  adverbially,  but  is  equivalent  to  no  more  than. 
Therefore  the  man  that  says,  "  I  cannot  but  think,"  really  says, 
"I  can  think,"  for  but  has  the  negative  sense  and  "two  negatives 
make  an  affirmative."  He  means,  "  I  can  but  think." 

But  what.  Almost  always  omit  what,  as  it  is  meaningless. 
"  I  do  not  know  but  [what]  you  are  right."  The  same  criticism 
applies  to  but  that. 

By.  Never  say,  "A  man  by  the  name  of  Thompson." 
Substitute  of  for  by,  or,  better,  use  named. 

By  means  of.  By  will  often  answer  the  purpose  just  as 
well. 

Calculate.  Sometimes  vulgarly  used  for  intend,  purpose, 
expect.  Do  not  use  calculated  for  likely  or  apt. 

Can.  Implies  possibility.  Therefore  in  cannot  be  possible^ 
the  possible  is  superfluous. 

Canine.     An  adjective.     Vulgarly  used  as  a  noun  for  dog. 

Caption.  Wrongly  used  for  heading.  A  caption  is  a  seiz- 
ure, an  arrest. 

Casket.  Coffin  is  better  in  speaking  of  the  receptacle  for 
a  corpse. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  27 

Casuality.  No  such  word.  Casualty  is  the  proper  word. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  speciality,  for  which  specialty  should  be 
used. 

Character.  Distinguish  from  reputation.  Slander  may 
harm  reputation,  but  not  character. 

Citizen.  Implies  citizenship.  Often  used  where  person  or 
man  would  be  better. 

Claimed.  William  Cullen  Bryant  forbade  the  use  of  this 
word  in  The  New  York  Evening  Post  when  asserted  was  meant. 

Climax.  The  Greek  for  ladder.  It  does  not  mean  the  top 
of  a  ladder.  We  speak  of  "capping  a  climax,"  but  not  often 
correctly  of  " reaching  a  climax;"  acme  is  usually  the  appropri- 
ate word  in  the  latter  case. 

Commence.  Called  vulgar  by  many  authorities.  Begin 
is  far  preferable,  because  it  is  shorter  and  is  Anglo-Saxon. 
Commence  is  of  very  poor  Latin  origin. 

Consider.  Means  to  contemplate,  to  ponder.  Do  not  use 
for  think,  suppose,  or  regard. 

Constantly.  Not  synonymous  with  frequently.  Constantly 
means  uninterruptedly. 

Consummation.  Writers  for  the  press  sometimes  say 
that  "the  marriage  was  consummated,''1  when  they  mean  that  "the 
ceremony  was  performed,"  in  some  church  or  by  some  minister. 
As  Richard  Grant  White  says,  "  consummation  is  not  usually 
talked  about  openly  in  general  society." 


28  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Contribute,     Often  used  as  a  pompous  substitute  for  give. 
Cottage  house.     What  could  a  cottage  be  but  a  house  ? 

Crime.  Distinguish  between  crime,  vice,  and  sin.  Crime  is 
a  violation  of  the  law  of  a  particular  country.  Sin  is  the  viola- 
tion of  a  religious  law.  Vice  is  a  course  of  action  or  habit  of  life 
that  is  harmful  to  the  actor  or  wrongful  to  others. 

Deceased.  A  word  to  be  shunned.  In  point  of  brevity, 
good  taste,  and  solemnity,  dead  is  far  preferable. 

Demean.     Means  behave,  conduct,  not  debase. 

Departed  this  life.     A  sanctimonious  paraphrase  for  died. 

Depose.  A  deponent  gives  a  deposition  as  written  evi- 
dence. Therefore  a  man  does  not  depose  if  he  is  in  court. 

Depot.  Avoid  this  mischief-making  French  word  by  sub- 
stituting station.  Every  railway  depot  is  a  station,  but  very  few 
stations  are  depots. 

Deprecate.  Wrongly  used  for  disapprove,  censure,  condemn. 
The  word  really  means  to  beg  or  pray  against. 

Description.  Do  not  use  for  kind  or  sort.  Say,  "  His 
clothes  were  of  the  meanest  sort,"  and  not,  "  of  the  meanest 
description." 

Despatch.     A  telegraph  message  is  a  despatch,  not  a  dispatch. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  29 

Despite.  Often  incorrectly  preceded  by  in  and  followed 
by  of.  Say  either,  "Despite  all  our  efforts,"  or,  "  In  spite  of  all 
our  efforts." 

Devouring  element.     Bombastical  tor  fire. 
Directly.     Do  not  use  for  as  soon  as. 

Dirt.  Means  filth.  A  thing  that  is  dirty  is  foul.  Do  not 
use  for  earth,  loam,  gravel,  or  sand. 

Donate.  Not  recognized  by  good  writers.  Use  give.  Gift 
is  better  than  donation. 

Done.  Exercise  very  great  care  in  the  use  of  this  word. 
The  danger  may  be  seen  by  reflection  on  this  sentence  :  "  I 
ought  not  to  write  as  I  have  done  " 

Don't.  Like  can't,  won't,  haven't,  isn't,  and  the  like,  don't  is 
pardonable  in  colloquial  writing  and  common  conversation,  but  a 
clear  discrimination  must  be  made  between  don't  and  doesn't. 
"  He  don't "  is  as  wrong  as,  "  He  do  not." 

Dove.     Misused  for  dived. 

Dramatize.  Do  not  confound  with  adapt.  Stories  are 
dramatized  when  they  are  changed  from  the  narrative  to  the 
dramatic  form  ;  plays  are  adapted  when  they  are  altered. 

During.  Worcester  defines  this  word  as  meaning,  "  For 
the  time  of  the  continuance  of."  It  is  clear,  then,  that  corres- 
pondents err  when  they  use  the  word  as  in  the  following  sentence  : 
"  The  Odd  Fellows  will  give  a  ball  during  the  week." 


30  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Either,  or,  neither,  nor.  Either  looks  forward  to  or ; 
neither  looks  forward  to  nor.  No  matter  if  either  has  been  pre- 
ceded by  a  negative, —  it  should  still  be  followed  by  or.  If  a 
negative  such  as  not  has  been  used,  but  no  either,  then  use  nor  if 
it  governs  the  same  part  of  speech  that  the  negative  governed  ; 
otherwise  use  or;  it  is  correct  to  say,  for  example,  "They  are 
not  worth  all  the  labor  or  all  the  room,"  and  it  is  correct  to  say, 
"  They  are  worth  not  all  the  labor  nor  all  the  room."  Put  the 
corresponding  words  next  the  words  they  govern ;  do  not  say, 
'•'  He  comes  either  from  Maine  or  Vermont,"  but  say,  "  He  comes 
from  either  Maine  or  Vermont."  Remember  that  never  is  just 
as  much  of  a  negation  as  neither.  Therefore  it  is  wrong  to  say,  "  I 
never  saw  man  nor  woman  equal  to  the  task,"  but  it  is  right  to 
say,  "  I  never  saw  man  nor  heard  of  woman  equal  to  the  task." 
After  either  —  or,  neither  —  nor  use  the  singular  number  ;  e.  g., 
"  Neither  the  man  nor  the  boy  is  to  be  seen." 

Effluvia.     Plural.     Do  not  say  a  bad  effluvia. 

Elder.  Elder  and  eldest  should  be  confined  to  kinsfolk  and 
historical  persons. 

Embrace.  Do  not  use  carelessly  for  contain  or  comprise. 
An  obituary  notice  contained  the  following  ludicrous  statement : 
"  He  left  a  large  circle  of  mourners  embracing  an  amiable  wife 
and  children." 

Employee.  Now  commonly  accepted  as  an  Anglicized 
word,  spelled  without  the  accent,  and  with  two  e's  whether  mas- 
culine or  feminine  in  application. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  3  i 


Enceinte.     Say,  with  child. 

Equanimity,  anxiety.  Both  are  mental  conditions  and 
therefore  it  is  redundant  to  put  of  mind  after  them. 

Equally  as  well.     Equally  is  superfluous. 

Every.  Means  each  of  a//,  not  all  in  a  mass.  It  cannot, 
therefore,  be  applied  to  that  which  is  in  its  nature  inseparable. 
Notice  the  error  in,  "  The  men  deserve  every  praise."  This  word 
requires  a  singular  pronoun  ;  notice  the  error  in,  "  Every  person 
must  show  their  ticket." 

Expect.  Do  not  use  for  suppose,  think,  or  guess.  Then, 
too,  one  cannot  expect  backward,  as  is  implied  in  this  sentence : 
"  I  expect  you  caught  cold  yesterday." 

Explosion.  Frequently  used  wrongly  in  connection  with 
idea,  clew,  and  the  like.  How  can  a  clew  be  exploded  ? 

Farther.  Should  be  used  exclusively  with  reference  to 
distance.  In  other  connections  use  further \ 

Fatal,  Whenever/tfta/is  used  in  the  sense  of  mortal,  deadly, 
it  is  worse  than  silly  to  couple  with  it  serious,  or  similar  words. 
Met  with  a  serious  and  fatal  accident  is  part  of  a  sentence  not 
rarely  seen.  Sad  and  fatal  is  another  deplorable  phrase. 

Female.     Vulgarly  substituted  for  woman. 

Finally  settled.  In  the  common  use  of  this  phrase 
finally  is  superfluous. 


32  Writing  for  the  Press. 

First.  Almost  always  it  is  wrong  to  say  the  three  first  or  the 
three  second ;  instead  say  the  first  three  or  the  second  three.  An  easy 
rule  to  remember  is,  let  "  first "  be  first. 

Firstly.     Improperly  used  for  first. 

Floral  offering.  A  stock  phrase  that  has  become  tire- 
some. 

For  .a  period  of.     A  long  way  of  saying  for. 

For  the  purpose  of.  Save  in  very  formal  writing,  three  oi 
the  words  in  this  phrase  are  usually  needless. 

Former,  latter.  Never  use  either  of  these  words  in  the 
possessive  case. 

Full  complement.     Full  is  superfluous. 
Future  prospects.     Who  ever  heard  of  past  prospects  ? 
Gather  together.     How  can  people  gather  any  other  way  ? 
Gent.     Vulgar. 

Gentleman.  "  Few  things  are  in  worse  taste  than  to  use  the 
term  gentleman,  whether  in  the  singular  or  plural,  to  designate  the 
sex." — [Alfred  Ayres.  "Socially  the  term  'gentleman'  has 
become  almost  vulgar.  It  is  certainly  less  employed  by  gentle- 
men than  by  inferior  persons." —  \^All  the  Year  Round. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  33 


Given.  The  New  York  Sun  objects  vigorously  to  such 
sentences  as  this  :  "  Henry  Irving  was  given  a  dinner."  The  Sun 
calls  this  use  of  given  a  "  bit  of  shameful  reporter's  vulgarity," 
maintaining  that  the  dinner,  not  Irving,  was  given,  and  that  the 
sentence  should  be,  "A  dinner  was  given  to  Henry  Irving.'* 
Although,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  common  usage  justifies  the 
idiomatic  construction,  yet  it  is  better  to  be  on  the  safe  side. 

Gives  upon.     Do  not  use  for  looks  out  upon  or  adjoins. 

Goes  without  saying.  A  translation  of  a  French  phrase 
for  which  it  is  asserted  that  there  is  no  need  in  English. 

Got.  More  misused  than  any  other  word  in  the  language. 
Get  expresses  attainment  by  exertion ;  possession  is  completely 
expressed  by  have.  "  I  have  got "  is  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  a 
vulgar  error;  as  in,  "I  have  got  a  book  in  my  hand." 

Graduate.  There  is  good  authority  and  certainly  almost 
universal  usage  to  justify  the  use  of  this  word  as  a  neuter  verb. 

Grand.  Used  indiscriminately  by  careless  newspaper  writ- 
ers for  everything  from  a  hen-house  to  a  thunder-storm.  Most 
commonly  misused  in  copying  from  advertisements  such  phrases 
as  a  grand  ball,  a  grand  excursion.  Correctly  used  only  when  it 
is  meant  to  convey  an  idea  of  magnificence  or  splendor. 

Gratuitous .  Do  not  use  for  unfounded,  untrue,  unreasona- 
ble. 


34  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Grove.  In  a  grove  of  trees  the  words  of  trees  are  clearly 
superfluous. 

Had.  Had  better,  had  rather,  and  like  phrases  are  some- 
times criticised,  but  there  is  good  authority  for  their  use  and  they 
are  too  valuable  idioms  to  be  discarded. 

Hence.  In  the  phrase  from  hence  the  from  is  worse  than 
useless. 

Immediately.  Discriminate  from  directly,  which  denotes 
without  any  delay,  whereas  immediately  implies  without  any  inter- 
position of  other  occupation.  "  I  will  do  it  directly''  means,  *'  I  will 
go  straightway  about  it."  "  I  will  do  it  immediately''  means,  "  I 
will  do  it  as  the  very  next  thing." 

Immense.  Misused  for  great.  Means  that  cannot  be 
measured. 

Inaugurate.  Never  use^  if  you  can  possibly  help  it.  To 
inaugurate  is  to  receive  or  to  induct  into  office  with  solemn  cere- 
monies. In  most  cases  begin  is  the  word  to  be  used. 

Individual.  Use  plain  man,  woman,  person,  except  when 
members  of  a  class  are  viewed  as  units  of  a  whole. 

Indorse.  Do  not  use  in  the  sense  of  sanction,  approve, 
applaud. 

Initiate.  Often  used  where  begin  would  be  more  forcible 
because  more  simple. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  35 

In  order  to.  Often  used  where  to  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose better,  because  it  is  briefer. 

In  this  city.     In  Boston  is  shorter  and  more  definite. 

Lady.  Often  used  vulgarly.  Say  woman,  except  where 
purely  social  distinctions  are  made. 

Late.  In  the  funeral  of  the  late  Mr.  Smith  it  is  clear  that 
•the  late  is  superfluous. 

Leg.     When  you  mean  leg,  say  leg,  not  lower  limb. 

Lengthy.  Careful  writers  prefer  long,  which  also  has  the 
advantage  of  brevity. 

Less.     Relates  to  quantity ;  fewer  relates  to  numbers. 

Liable.  A  man  is  liable  to  that  to  which  he  is  exposed,  or 
obliged,  or  subject ;  but  he  is  not  liable  to  act.  The  word  im- 
plies something  unpleasant.  Do  not  confound  with  likely. 

Lief.     Lief  is  permissible,  but  lieves  is  vulgar. 

Literarian.  A  new  word  generally  accepted  as  a  good 
•substitute  for  the  foreign  word  litterateur  and  the  awkward  phrase 
literary  man. 

Locate.     Simply  a  big  word  for  place  or  settle. 

Majority.  Substitute  most  in  such  phrases  as,  "  In  [the 
majority  of]  cases." 


36  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Manufactory.     Factory  is  shorter  and  therefore  better. 

Miss.  You  may  say  either  the  Misses  Brown  or  the  Miss 
Browns. 

Mistake,  to.  To  take  amiss.  "  I  am  mistaken,"  is  equiv- 
alent to,  "  I  am  taken  amiss."  It  is  generally  better  to  say  at 
fault  or  wrong. 

Most.  Do  not  use  for  almost;  e.  g.,  "It  was  almost  (not 
most)  five  o'clock." 

Mr.  Should  be  used  but  for  two  purposes,  —  to  distinguish 
men  from  women,  and  to  confer  what  may  be  called  a  social  honor.. 
When  the  Christian  name  is  used,  the  title  is  not  necessary,  and 
when  only  the  initials  are  used,  the  omission  of  any  title  what- 
ever implies  that  the  name  is  that  of  a  man.  Therefore  the  only 
considerable  use  of  the  title  Mr.  that  is  justifiable  in  newspapers, 
is  its  use  in  accounts  of  society  happenings,  and  the  more  spar- 
ingly it  is  used  in  these  cases,  the  better. 

Mrs.  In  speaking  of  a  married  woman,  use  her  husband's 
name  with  the  prefix  Mrs.,  or,  if  she  be  well  known,  use  her 
Christian  name  without  the  Mrs. ;  e.  g.,  Mrs.  John  Jones,  or, 
Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  An  excellent  and  growing  practice,  when 
the  Christian  name  is  used,  is  to  prefix  the  Mrs.  in  brackets  ; 
e.  g.,  [Mrs.]  Mary  Brown. 

Mutual.  Not  synonymous  with  common.  Macaulay  says  : 
"  Mutual  friend  is  a  low  vulgarism  for  common  friend."  Mutual 
properly  relates  to  two  persons,  and  implies  reciprocity  of  senti- 
ment. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  37 


Names.  Shun  this  word  when  writing  about  any  organiza- 
tion or  meeting.  It  is  needless  to  say,  "Among  the  names  on 
the  membership  list  are  those  of,"  etc.  Say  instead,  "  Among 
the  members  are,"  etc.  "  Only  three  men  have  been  suggested 
for  the  office,"  is  better  than,  "  Only  three  names,"  etc. 

Nice.  A  good  word  ruined  by  bad  use.  If  you  use  it  in 
its  correct  signification,  most  people  will  misunderstand  you. 
Therefore  the  best  way  is  not  to  use  it  at  all. 

Number.  Often  badly  used  as  a  verb  where  has  is  meant ; 
as  in,  "  The  lodge  numbers  forty  members." 

Obligate.     Often  used  pompously  for  bind. 
Observe.     Do  not  use  for  say. 

Obtain.  Pretentious  synonym  for  get.  When  you  mean 
get,  say  get. 

Occasion.  On  which  occasion  may  be  a  long  and  stilted 
substitute  for  when. 

Occur.  Some  authorities  say  that  one  of  the  most  common 
errors  in  newspapers  is  caused  by  the  indiscriminate  use  of  occur 
for  take  place.  Anything  occurs  when  it  takes  place  by  chance. 
Funerals  do  not  occur,  nor  do  weddings. 

Off.  Do  not  couple  with  from,  nor  with  of;  e.  g.,  "  He 
jumped  off  [from]  the  table,"  "He  took  the  book  off  [of]  the 
table." 


38  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Old.  An  old  man  seventy  years  of  age  is  a  phrase  embodying 
an  error  not  rare  in  newspapers.  Are  not  all  men  seventy  years 
of  age  old?  Do  not  use  of  age  when  you  mean  old ;  say,  a  boy 
ten  years  old,  not,  a  boy  ten  years  of  age. 

Olfactory  organ.     High-sounding  for  nose. 

On.  Very  often  needlessly  used,  and  sometimes  wrongly, 
in  referring  to  special  days.  In  the  phrases  on  last  Tuesday,  on 
next  Sunday,  on  tomorrow,  the  on  is  useless  and  awkward.  On 
Tuesday  last  is  still  worse.  Furthermore,  custom  has  decided 
that  we  must  say  either,  "  on  the  22d  of  June,"  or,  "June  22  ;  '* 
"on  June  22d"  and  "on  June  22  "  are  tabooed. 

Only.  Sometimes  an  adverb,  as  in,  "I  only  speak  French,"" 
which  implies  that  I  do  not  write  it ;  and  sometimes  an  adjective, 
as  in,  "  I  speak  only  French,"  which  implies  that  I  speak  no 
other  language.  The  best  rule  is  to  avoid  placing  only  between 
two  emphatic  words,  and  to  avoid  using  only  where  alone  can  be. 
substituted  for  it.  See  ALONE. 

Onto.     Vulgar.     Say  on  or  upon. 

Oh !  An  interjection  to  be  used  only  of  surprise,  grief,, 
pain,  sorrow,  or  anxiety.  Elsewhere  use  "  O." 

Operation.  In  operation  is  often  used  where  at  work 
would  be  better,  because  shorter  and  Anglo-Saxon. 

Ought.  It  is  vulgar  to  say  or  write,  "hadn't  ought."" 
Ought  not  to  is  the  proper  phrase. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  39 

Over.  "  Over  a  thousand  people  were  there,"  should  be 
"  More  than  a  thousand  people  were  there." 

Pains.  When  used  to  mean  exertion  or  trouble,  treat  as  a 
singular  noun.  Say,  "  Great  pains  was  taken,"  and  not,  "  Great 
pains  were  taken." 

Panacea.     "  Universal  panacea  "  is  tautological. 
Pantomime.     There  is  no  such  word  as  panto mine. 

Pants.  All  the  authorities  call  it  vulgar.  Use  trousers  or 
pantaloons. 

Partake.  Means  to  take  part  of,  to  share.  Notice  the 
absurdity  of  this  sentence  :  "  Being  left  alone,  he  partook  of  a 
hearty  meal." 

Partially.  Do  not  use  for  partly.  Partially  means  with 
unjust  or  unreasonable  bias. 

Participate.     Take  part  is  shorter. 

Party.     Do  not  use  for  simple  man,  woman,  or  person. 

Past.  Not  synonymous  with  last.  The  last  week  is  cer- 
tainly a  past  week,  but  the  past  week  is  not  necessarily  the  last 
week,  and  this  week  is  surely  not  a  past  week.  We  commonly 
make  a  subtle  and  almost  unconscious  distinction  between  last 
week  and  the  last  week,  meaning  by  last  week  the  last  seven  days 
that  began  with  Sunday  and  ended  with  Saturday,  but  by  the  last 
week,  the  last  seven  days  before  the  one  used  as  a  starting  point. 


4O  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Paven.     Streets  are  paved,  notpaven. 

Per.  Before  Latin  nouns  use  per ;  before  English  nouns 
use  a;  e.  %.,per  annum,  a  year,  per  diem,  a  day.  Do  not  sayjter 
day,  per  week,  per  month,  etc.  Avoid  using  the  Latin  terms  at  all. 

Perfect.  It  is  very  often  said  that  one  thing  is  more  or 
less  perfect  than  another,  though  of  course  there  can  be  no 
degree  of  perfection.  Likewise  we  read  such  sentences  as  these : 
"  The  hall  was  not  so  full  as  it  had  been ; "  "  The  spelling  was 
not  as  correct  in  this  book;"  "The  history  is  more  complete 
than  any  other ; "  "  His  room  was  emptier  than  ever."  Fullness, 
correctness,  completeness,  and  emptiness  are  all  conditions 
incapable  of  degree.  Yet  in  these  and  similar  cases  so  common 
is  the  application  of  degrees  of  comparison  to  adjectives  of 
themselves  superlative  in  significance,  that  it  is  a  question 
whether  phrases  technically  incorrect  have  not  been  made  justi- 
fiable by  usage.  *Of  course  it  is  wiser  to  be  on  the  safe  side  and 
avoid  them. 

Perform.  The  true  musician  plays  the  piano;  Miss 
Arabella  Shoddy  performs  on  the  piano. 

Plea.  In  connection  with  legal  proceedings,  not  a  correct 
synonym  for  argument.  It  is  that  which  is  allegedly  a  party  to 
a  suit  in  support  of  his  cause.  It  is  one  of  the  pleadings  and 
is  written,  not  spoken.  Therefore  it  is  wrong  to  speak  of  a 
lawyer's  "  eloquent  plea." 

Plead.  The  imperfect  and  the  past  participle  are  pleaded, 
not  plead. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  41 


Portion.  Do  not  use  for  part.  A  portion  is  properly  a 
part  assigned,  alloted,  set  aside  for  a  special  purpose ;  a  share, 
a  division. 

Possess.     Do  not  use  where  merely  have  is  meant. 

Practical,  practicable.  Discriminate  between  these 
words.  A  thing  is  practicable  when  it  can  be  done,  effected, 
accomplished ;  it  is  practical  when  it  is  adapted  to  use,  not 
theoretical.  There  is  a  word,  impracticable. ',  but  no  impractical. 
Discriminate  between  impracticable  and  impossible.  "  A  thing 
is  impracticable"  says  Webster's  Dictionary,  "when  it  cannot 
be  done  by  any  human  means  at  present  possessed ;  a  thing  is 
impossible  when  the  laws  of  nature  forbid  it." 

Practical  benefit.     Practical  is  superfluous. 

Present.  Why  not  say  this  week,  this  month,  this  year, 
Tather  than  the  present  week,  the  present  month,  the  present  year ? 

Preside  at  the  organ.     A  phrase  both  senseless  and  trite. 
Preventive.     Do  not  say  preventative. 

Previous.  An  awkward  and  long-winded  substitute  for 
before. 

Proceed.  Go  is  shorter  by  five  letters,  and  in  most  cases 
gives  the  meaning  better. 

Procure.     Pompous  substitute  tor  get. 


42  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Propose  and  purpose.  Do  not  confound.  To  propose- 
means  to  make  an  offer ;  to  purpose  means  to  intend. 

Proposition.  Often  used  when  the  shorter  word  proposal 
would  be  better. 

Purchase.  Buy\s  shorter  and  more  forcible,  and  therefore 
far  preferable. 

Quite.  The  best  way  to  treat  this  much  abused  word  is 
never  to  use  it  except  in  the  sense  of  wholly.  There  is  little 
authority  for  its  use  as  a  synonym  for  rather. 

Receive.  One  man  may  receive  a  thing  from,  but  never  ofr 
another,  blank  forms  of  receipts  notwithstanding. 

Recipient.  Was  the  recipient  of  means  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  received. 

Recuperate.  Means  recover,  nothing  more  nor  less.  Use. 
the  shorter  word. 

Relatives.     Better  than  relations  to  express  kindred. 

Reliable.  J.  R.  Lowell  calls  this  "an  abominable  word." 
The  best  authorities  reject  it.  Better  be  on  the  safe  side  and  say 
trustworthy. 

Replace.  Means  properly,  "to  restore  to  its  place." 
Wrongly  used  for  displace,  succeed,  supercede,  take  the  place  of,  and 
supply  the  place  of. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  43 


Repudiate.     Do  not  use  for  reject  or  disown. 
Reside.     Long-winded  for  live. 

Resume.  The  unpretending  man  takes,  not  resumes,  his 
seat. 

Retire.     Vulgarly  substituted  for  go  to  bed. 
Reverts  back.     Does  anything  ever  revert  forward  ? 

Sales-lady.  The  use  of  this  word  should  be  confined  to 
the  "mercantile  establishments"  or  "commercial  emporiums" 
where  the  "counter-jumper  "  shows  you  an  "under-vest "  when 
you  want  to  buy  an  under-shirt. 

Section.  Often  misused  for  region.  Section,  being  derived 
from  the  Latin  word  meaning  "to  cut  off,"  implies  a  definite 
division.  In  that  section  of  the  country  should  be  in  that  part  of 
the  country  or  in  that  region. 

Sewer,  sewage,  sewerage.  Sewer,  the  drain;  sewage, 
the  filth  drained  ;  sewerage,  the  system  of  draining  by  sewers. 

Shortly.     A  questionable  and  long  substitute  for  soon. 
Signalized.     Stilted  substitute  for  celebrated  or  marked. 
Similar  to.     An  absurdly  long  way  of  saying  like. 
Since.     Do  not  use  for  ago  when  you  mean  ago. 


44  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Social.     Needless  in  such  phrases  as  a  social  dance. 

Species.     Kind  is  shorter  and  is  Anglo-Saxon,  and  there- 
fore better  in  many  places. 


Splendid.  Literally  means  shining.  Its  use  to  express 
very  great  excellence  is  coarse. 

Standpoint.  Rejected  by  all  the  best  authorities.  Use 
point  of  view.  Viewpoint  has  been  suggested  as  allowable  where 
but  one  word  is  wanted. 

State.  Discriminate  between  state  and  say.  State  means 
to  make  known  specifically,  to  explain  particularly. 

Stop.  Do  not  use  for  stay.  It  is  wrong  to  say  that  so  and 
so  is  "  stopping  at  Young's." 

Subsequent.  Never  be  so  stilted  and  vulgar  as  to  say 
subsequent  to  for  simple  after. 

Sufficient.  Often  a  long  substitute  for  enough,  which  has 
the  added  advantage  of  being  Anglo-Saxon. 

Suicide.     Must  not  bs  used  as  a  verb. 

Sum.  Figures  must  not  begin  a  sentence,  and  so  it  is 
sometimes  convenient  to  begin  with,  "The  sum  of  $25,000,"  or 
the  like.  Elsewhere  in  the  sentence,  for  newspaper  purposes 
at  least,  the  sum  of  is  worse  than  useless. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  45 

Suspect.  You  cannot  suspect  a  man  of  being  in  his 
natural  condition.  You  may  suspect  a  man  of  being  insane,  but 
you  do  not  suspect  his  sanity,  you  doubt  it. 

Suspicioned.  Vulgar.  Note  the  following  extract  from 
The  New  York  World:  '"She  Suspicioned  the  Old  Man'  is  a 
headline  in  The  Boston  Herald.  Sad  is  the  day  when  we  cannot 
look  to  Boston  for  good  newspaper  English,  and  yet  that  day  has 
arrived." 

Tapis.  "On  the  tapis"  is  vulgar.  Say,  "on  the  carpet." 
The  French  phrase  is  sur  le  tapis,  and  we  have  no  right  to 
translate  two  words  and  not  the  third. 

That,  who,  which.  The  best  writers  generally  use  that 
as  a  restrictive  relative,  who  and  which  as  co-ordinating  relatives. 
This  distinction  can  be  understood  by  careful  study  of  the 
following  sentences : 

f  The  house  that  he  built  still  stands. 

(  This  house,  which  (and  it)  is  mine,  still  stands. 

(  The  tallest  man  that  I  ever  saw  was  Jones. 

(  The  tallest  man  there  was  Jones,  whom  (and  him)  I  saw. 

f  All  men  that  are  honest  speak  the  truth. 

(  Some  men,  who  (and  they)  are  honest,  speak  the  truth. 


46  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Which  may  be  used  for  that  to  avoid  repetition,  and  you 
must  often  be  governed  by  the  ear  in  the  choice  between  these 
words. 

The.  Whenever  of  immediately  follows  the  present  parti- 
ciple, the  must  precede  it,  and  vice  versa.  Say  the  giving  of 
charity >,  or  giving  charity,  but  not  giving  of  charity  nor  the  giving 
charity. 

The  above.     An  inelegant  phrase. 

Then.  Wrongly  used  as  an  adjective,  as  in,  "The  then 
mayor  of  Philadelphia." 

There.  Often  uselessly  employed  in  the  phrase  there  are, 
as  in  the  sentence,  "There  are  many  who  frown  on  it ; "  it  would 
be  briefer  and  in  most  cases  better  to  say,  "  Many  frown  on  it." 

Those  kind.     Ungrammatical,  as  is  also  those  sort. 

To.  Implies  motion.  "  I  was  down  to  the  hall  "  is  wrong. 
"  I  went  down  to  the  hall "  is  right. 

Transpire.  Correctly  used  if  leak  out  can  be  substituted 
for  it ;  wrongly  used  if  take  place  can  be  substituted  for  it. 

Ult.,  inst.,  prox.  Use  as  little  as  possible.  Say  last 
month,  this  month,  next  month. 

Upon.  Do  not  use  for  on,  as  in  the  sentence,  "  I  called 
upon  him  to  speak."  On  is  shorter. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  47 

Veteran.     "  Old  veteran"  is  tautological.     Omit  old. 
Veracious.     Say  truthful;  likewise,  truthfulness  for  veracity. 

When.  Shorter  and  far  better  than  at  the  time  that  or  at 
which  time.  In  at  the  time  when  three  words  are  clearly  super- 
fluous. 

Whence.  It  is  as  wrong  to  say  from  'whence  as  to  say 
from  hence  or  from  thence. 

Whereabouts.  Do  not  use  as  the  subject  of  a  plural  verb. 
Say,  "  The  whereabouts  of  the  criminal  was  unknown,"  not,  '"''were 
unknown." 

Who  are.  The  wordy  writer  delights  in  saying,  "  The  men 
and  women  who  are  employed,"  etc.  Such  use  of  the  phrase, 
though  not  ungrammatical,  is  often  needless. 

Whose.  May  be  applied  to  brutes  and  inanimate  things 
as  well  as  to  human  beings ;  e.  g.,  "  The  dogs  whose  barking  I 
heard  and  the  houses  whose  roofs  I  saw  led  me  to  think  a  village 
was  near  by." 

Witness.     Do  not  use  as  a  big,  stilted  synonym  for  see. 

Young.  Needless  in  such  phrases  as  a  young  girl  eleven 
years  old. 

"  Pants  are  worn  by  gents  who  eat  lunches  and  open  wine,  and 
trousers  are  worn  by  gentlemen  who  eat  luncheons  and  order 
wine." —  {Alfred  Ayres. 


48  Writing  for  the  Press. 

Shoddy  people  might  donate  caskets  for  deceased  females  ; 
refined  people  would  give  coffins  for  dead  women. 

Reliable  parties  commence  operations  for  the  erection  of  a  depot ; 
trustworthy  men  begin  building  a  station. 

Do  not  spell  forward,  backward,  homeward,  afterward,  down- 
ward, toward,  earthward,  upward,  and  heavenward,  with  a  final  s. 
The  letter  is  useless,  and  it  takes  time  and  space. 

Be  careful  not  to  use  needlessly  the  phrases  the  other  day, 
recently,  not  long  ago,  and  the  like.  Often  they  detract  from  the 
force  of  an  otherwise  interesting  paragraph.  Moreover,  they 
sometimes  stamp  as  too  old  for  printing  what  might  without 
them  pass  the  editor  and  make  good  reading.  It  is  not  always 
wise  to  be  too  specific  about  time. 

It  is  an  easy  rule  to  remember  that  around  denotes  rest, 
and  round,  motion. 

The  too-explicit  writer  says  "the  lodge  will  meet  Tuesday 
evening,  January  15,  1889,  at  7.30  o'clock  P.  M.,"  where 
"January  15,  at  7.30  P.  M.,"  is  all  the  detail  necessary  in  a 
newspaper.  According  to  this  writer  "  the  lodge  has  extended 
an  invitation  to  the  Board  of  Grand  Officers  to  be  present  and 
take  part  in  the  ceremony."  The  lodge  in  reality  "  invited  the 
Grand  Officers  to  take  part  in  the  ceremony";  they  surely  could 
not  take  part  if  they  were  not  present.  After  the  affair  this 
same  writer  says,  "the  lodge  celebrated  its  anniversary  by  giving 
a  supper/'  though  the  necessity  of  the  word  giving  does  not 


Writing  for  the  Press.  49 

appear.  After  "the  gathering  had  assembled"  and  "the  large 
audience  that  filled  the  hall "  had  heard  the  entertainment,  the 
people  "  adjourned  to  the  banquet  hall  (supper  room  ?),"  where 
the  always  "bounteous  collation  was  enjoyed."  "After  the  cigars 
had  been  lighted,"  as  usual,  "  speech  making  was  in  order  and 
addresses  were  made,"  as  if  addresses  might  be  made  if  speeches 
were  not  in  order.  Then  "  District  Deputy  Grand  Commander 
John  Brown  was  presented  with  a  jewel  by  Brother  B.  B.  Smith," 
when  the  paper  wants  to  say  that  "  B.  B.  Smith  presented  a 
jewel  to  D.  D.  G.  C.  John  Brown."  According  to  the  report 
Deputy  Brown  said  he  would  do  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to 
organize  a  lodge  in  the  town  of  Smithley,  as  if  his  hearers  cared 
whether  Smithley  was  a  town  or  city,  and  whether  he  would  do 
all  that  lay  in  his  power  or  all  he  could.  At  another  meeting 
of  this  lodge  the  business  was  "proceeded  with"  very  slowly, 
instead  of  being  "transacted."  Some  member  "desired"  the 
lodge  to  occupy  a  new  hall  "providing"  the  "expense"  would 
not  be  too  "heavy.'"  He  really  "wanted"  this  if  the  "  cost " 
would  not  be  too  "much."  "A  great  majority  of  the  members," 
instead  of  "most  of  the  members,"  "antagonized"  instead  of 
"  opposing "  the  project.  It  was  announced  that  another 
member  had  "  sustained  an  accident,"  which  sounded  better 
than  "met  with  an  accident,"  but  he  was  "recovering  from  its 
effects,"  or  in  other  words  "getting  well."  It  seems  he  had 
been  thrown  "  a  distance  of  fifty  feet "  by  an  explosion,  though 
what  fifty  feet  could  be  but  "  a  distance  "  did  not  appear. 

"Newspapers  and  novels  alike  keep  their  'pet  words'  — 
words  which,  like  other  pets,  are  often  in  the  way,  often  fill  places 
that  belong  to  their  betters.  A  good  speech  is  termed  *  breezy ' 


50  Writing  for  the  Press. 

or  '  neat ';  a  good  style,  '  crisp  '  or  '  incisive  ' ;  an  '  utterance  '  or 
a  comely  countenance,  '  clear-cut '  or  '  clean-cut.'  Bad  features 
are  '  accentuated  '  by  sickness.  Lectures  are  *  punctuated  ' 
with  applause.  Many  things,  from  noses  to  tendencies,  are 

*  pronounced  '    A  clergyman  'performs '  at  a  funeral ;  a  musician 

*  officiates'  at  the  piano-forte.     Many  questions    are  'pivotal.' 
Many  things,  from  a  circus  to  a  new  book,  have  an  '  advent.' 
Every  week  something  is  '  inaugurated  '  or  '  initiated.'     '  Factor ' 
and  'feature'  appear  in  the  oddest  company,  and  'environment' 
has  become  a  weariness  to  the  spirit. 

"Newspapers  and  novels  are  each  fond  of  the  last  new 
word  that  has  crept  into  the  slang  of  the  day  from  some  quarter 
too  obscure  to  be  known  or  too  vulgar  to  be  named.  We  read, 
for  example,  of  schemes  for  *  raking  in  the  dimes.'  One  poetical 
paragraph  ends  :  '  It  pulls  one  up  dreadfully  in  one's  reverie 
to  hear,'  etc.  Newspapers  '  take  stock  in  '  a  senator,  and  '  get  to 
the  bottom  fact '  of  a  discussion.  The  hero  of  one  novel  is 
'  padded  to  the  nines ' ;  the  heroine  of  another  has  a  brow,  eyes, 
and  face  that  are  all  'strung  up  to  the  concert-pitch.'  The 
journalist's  candidate  and  the  novelist's  villain  alike  'put  in  an 
appearance.'  " — \Prof.  A.  S.  Hill,  "English  in  Newspapers  and 
Novels,"  Scribner's  Magazine,  September,  1887. 

ERRORS    OF    ARRANGEMENT. 

45.  Among  the  most  amusing  errors  in  the  use  of  language, 
are  those  that  result  from  bad  arrangement  of  words.  The 
following  examples,  many  of  them  from  recent  newspapers,  will 
illustrate  this.  The  words  or  phrases  in  italics  are  misplaced  : 

"  He  blew  out  his  brains  after  bidding  his  wife  good-by 
'with  a  gun." 


Writing  for  the  Press.  51 

"  An  unquestioned  man  ot  genius." 

"  They  will  not  merely  interest  children,  but  grown-up  persons." 

"  We  never  remember  to  have  seen,"  etc. 

"  I  saw  a  man  talking  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Blank,  who  was  so 
-drunk  he  could  hardly  stand." 

"  The  action  of  Mr.  Walker  is  condemned  on  all  sides  in 
removing  the  windows  and  doors." 

"  The  snake  remained  coiled  about  his  limb  until  he  ran  home, 
nearly  a  mile,  and  was  dispatched  by  his  mother" 

"  The  tannery  property  at  Milford  has  been  sold  to  A.  J. 
Foster,  who  has  a  currying'  business  in  Woburn,  and  a  morocco 
business  in  Boston  Highlands,/^  $7,000." 

"  Carrera  died  on  the  same  day  that  President  Lincoln  was  shot 
and  was  buried  with  great  pomp." 

"  A  little  girl  was  struck  by  some  cars  that  were  being  switched 
in  the  yard  and  crushed." — Buffalo  Express. 

"  The  buildings  were  begun  in  1876,  and  Mrs.  Stewart 
met.  Bishop  Littlejohn  and  the  clergy  of  his  diocese  on  the  8th 
inst.,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  them" — Illustrated  London  News. 

The  St.  Mary's  (Md.)  Enterprise  relates  that  a  few  days  ago  a 
buggy  occupied  by  gentleman  and  lady  caught  fire  from  a  brick 
that  was  heated  for  the  benefit  of  the  lady's  comfort  while  on  the 
road  to  Leonardtown. 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


"  Erected  to  the  memory  of  John  Phillips  accidentally  shot 
as  a  mark,  of  affection  by  his  brother" 

"The  Present  Constitution.  —  Hon.  John  D.  Long  Tells 
How  It  Came  to  be  Adopted  in  a  Lecture  in  the  Old  South 
Course." 

"  The  Norristown  Herald  is  happy  over  a  new  Hoe  press,  and 
points  with  pride  to  the  fact  that  it  was  started  in  the  last  century." 
[The  clauses  connected  by  "and  "  should  be  reversed.] 

The  Waterville  Mail  said  that  a  Waterville  young  lady  of 
somnambulistic  tendencies  (addicted  to  sleep-walking  ?)  found 
herself  in  her  father's  stable  by  the  side  of  a  vicious  horse  in  her 
night-dress. 

The  head-lines  of  the  Manchester  Union's  report  of  Sunday 
services  read:  "'SINFUL  PLEASURES/  —  THE  FIRST  OF 
A  SERIES  BY  REV.  C.  W.  HEIZER." 

Advertisements  from  English  newspapers  :  "  Lost  —  A  cameo 
brooch,  representing  Venus  and  Adonis  whilst  walking  on  Sandy 
Mount,  on  Sunday  last."  "  Wanted  —  A  nurse  for  an  infant  between 
twenty-five  and  thirty,  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
without  any  followers." 

In  the  Morning  Chronicle's  account  of  Lord  Macaulay's 
funeral  occurred  the  following  sentence  :  "  When  placed  upon  the 
ropes  over  the  grave,  and  while  being  gradually  lowered  into  the 
earth,  the  organ  again  pealed  forth." 


Writing  for  the  Press.  53 

MIXED     METAPHORS. 

46.     Take    care  not   to    mix   your  metaphors.      Here  are  some 
examples  of  this  error  from  recent  newspapers  : 

"  Bill  Nye  is  on  the  tidal  wave.  He  is  too  original  to  ever  lose 
his  grip,  to  speak  plain." — [Notice  "to  ever  lose  "  and  "to  speak 
plain."] 

"  The  chariot  of  revolution  is  rolling  onward  and  gnashing  its 
teeth  as  it  rolls,"  is  what  a  Berlin  revolutionist  told  the  students 
in  1848. 

The  regular  correspondent  of  a  Boston  paper  wrote  the 
following  sentence  in  one  of  his  letters  :  "  It  was  bastard-born 
so  to  speak,  —  the  unwelcome  offspring  of  an  ill-considered 
and  hastily-conceived  scheme  for  a  new  City  Hall,  which  was 
railroaded  through  the  City  Council  under  whip  and  spur,  and 
finally  collapsed  because  in  the  end  nobody  cared  to  father  it." 

The  Boston  Journat  editorially  declared  that  Fred  Douglass 
would  not  "be  blinded  by  the  noise  of  brass  bands." 

A  correspondent  of  the  Hartford  Times  wrote  thus  of 
Mr.  Elaine's  course  :  "  Like  the  drowning  man,  he  did  not  let 
the  grass  grow  under  his  feet  before  snatching  at  a  straw.  From 
the  festal  capital  of  France  sounded  a  bugle  blast  that  sent  an 
electric  thrill  of  no  narrow  vibrations  through  the  grand  old 
party,  whose  worn-out  bloody  shirt  was  rapidly  transforming 
into  a  funeral  shroud." 


54 

Writing  for 

the  Press. 

47.       SOME 

WORDS  WITH   PUZZLING  PLURALS. 

Singular. 

Plural. 

Singular. 

Plural. 

Addendum 

Addenda 

Grcmus             *s 

Geniuses(men)' 

Aide-de-camp 

Aides-de-camp 

Genii  (spirits) 

Analysis 

Analyses 

Hypothesis 

Hypotheses 

Appendix 

Appendices 
Appendixes 

Larva 
Magus 

Larvae 
Magi 

"Dpnrlif                   J 

Banditti 

Matrix 

Matrices 

JjctllQlL                    *) 
"Rpaii                          ) 

Bandits 
Beaux 

Memorandum 

Memorandums 
\  Memoranda 

-OLtt  LI                           ^ 

Beaus 

Miasma 

Miasmata 

Chef  d'oeuvre 

Chefs  d'oeuvre 

Parenthesis 

Parentheses 

Cherub 

Cherubim 

Phenomenon 

Phenomena. 

Crisis 

Crises 

Seraph 

Seraphim 

Criterion 

Criteria 

Spoonful 

Spoonfuls. 

Datum 
Dictum 

Data 
Dicta 

Stigma 

Stigmata 
Stigmas 

Effluvium 

Effluvia 

Tableau 

Tableaux. 

Erratum 

Errata 

Terminus 

Termini 

Facetia 

Facetiae 

Thesis 

Theses 

Focus 

Foci 

Tumulus 

Tumuli 

Formula 

Formulas 
Formulae 

Vertebra 
Virtuoso 

Vertebrae 
Virtuosi 

PUNCTUATION. 

48.  It  is  foolish  for  a  newspaper  writer  of  any  grade  to  suppose 
that  the  desk-editor  or  proof-reader  exists  mainly  for  punctuation, 
purposes.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  writer  to  punctuate  his  own  copy 
to  the  best  of  his  ability.  It  is  a  strange  fact  that  some  reporters 
and  correspondents  who  have  been  writing  for  the  press  for  years,. 


Writing  for  the  Press.  55 

constantly  break  even  the  few  very  simple  rules  that  follow,  thus 
imposing  needless  drudgery  on  desk  editor,  compositor,  or  proof- 
reader. 

49.  Put  a  period  after  every  sentence  that  does  not  require  an 
interrogation  or  exclamation   point ;  after  every  abbreviated  word 
that  is  not  abbreviated  by  an  apostrophe  for  letters  omitted  ;  after 
Roman  numerals. 

50.  Use  the  colon   when   introducing   a   speech   or   quotation 
consisting  of  more  than  one  sentence  ;  before  a  series  of  propositions 
or  statements  formally  introduced  by  as  follows,  namely,  thus,  etc.  ;, 
and  before  a  short  quotation  formally  introduced. 

51.  When  two  or  more  clauses  of  a  sentence  are  not  so  closely- 
connected  as  to  admit  the  use  of  a  comma,  a  semi-colon  is  used. 

52.  Bigelow  well  says  ;  "  Commas  are  properly  used,  not  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  where  pauses  are  to  be  made  in  reading,  but  to- 
present  to  the  eye   the   proper   grammatical    construction  of  the 
sentence,  so  that  one  reading  a  new  book  or  newspaper  cannot 
fail  to  perceive  the  meaning  at  first  sight."       It  is  clear,  then,  that 
only  a  good  grammarian  can  use  the  comma  correctly,  and  so  I 
must  beg  leave  to  refer  the  reader  to  any  of  the  many  good  works 
on  grammar  or  rhetoric. 

53.  An  indirect  question  should  not  have  an  interrogation-mark 
after  it. 

5  4.  Oh!  always  requires  the  exclamation-point  immediately  after 
it,  save  when  the  sentence  has  an  exclamation-point  at  the  end. 
O  should  never  have  the  point  immediately  after  it. 


5  6  Writing  for  the  Press. 

55.  Note  the  difference  in  the  use  of  parentheses  and  brackets. 
The  use  of  brackets  is  restricted  to  interpolations,  corrections,  notes, 
or  explanations  made  by  writers  in  quotations  from  others,  or  by 
editors  in  editing  works. 

56.  All  nouns  in  the  singular  number,  whether  proper  names  or 
not,  and  all  nouns  in  the  plural  ending  with  any  other  letter  than,  .r, 
form  the  possessive  by  the  addition  of  the  apostrophe  and  the  letter 
s.     The  possessive  pronoun  never  takes  the  apostrophe. 

57.  Probably  quotation  marks  cause  more  serious  errors  in  the 
daily  newspaper  than  any  other  of  the  marks  of  punctuation.     It  is 
a  common  thing  to  see  a  quotation  begun  and  never  ended.  Often 
the  misuse  of  the  marks  puts  the  responsibility  for  the  words  on  the 
wrong    person   and   sometimes   it   is   impossible    to    tell   who   is 
responsible  for  them, — the  writer,  the  speaker,  or  some  third  person 
quoted  by  the  speaker.     The   fault  is  usually  that  of  the  writer, 
sometimes  that  of  the  compositor.      The  proof-reader  cannot  be 
blamed,   because  of  the    disconnected   way   in  which  newspaper 
proofs  usually  come  to  him.     The  writer  should  be  very  careful  to 
make  the  quotation-marks  large  and  clear,  that  they  may  not  be 
mistaken  for  commas  or  apostrophes.       The  .compositor  should 
exercise  equal  care.     Double  marks  should  precede  and  follow  direct 
quotations ;  where    one    quotation    occurs   within   another,  single 
marks  only  should  be  used.      If  the  quotation  does  not  begin  a 
paragraph,    none  should  be  made  before  its  close.      Every   new 
paragraph  or  stanza  of  the   quotation  should  have  the  beginning 
marks,    but    only   the    last    should    have    the    closing   marks.     A 
paragraph  of  a  quotation  within  a  quotation  has  both  double   and 
single  marks  at  the  beginning,  but  only  the  single   mark  at  the 
end,  unless  it  closes  the  whole  quotation,  when  it  has  both  single 


Writing  for  the  Press.  5  7 


and  double.  In  quotation  do  not  repeat  typographical  errors 
and  mis-spellings  unless  you  wish  to  hold  printer  or  author  up  to 
ridicule. 

58.  The  fashion  changes  in  punctuation  as  in  everything  else, 
and  it  is  the  fashion  now  to  use  capital  letters  sparingly  ;  once 
every  prominent  word  was  capitalized,  and  the  style  may  still  be 
seen  in  the  letters  of  very  old  people.  Fashion  also  now  frowns 
on  the  use  of  italics  to  emphasize  single  words.  They  are  now 
rarely  used  with  propriety  except  for  words  distinctly  foreign. 
Many  people,  especially  women,  have  a  habit  of  underscoring 
words  they  wish  to  emphasize,  and  those  who  have  acquired  the 
foolish  habit  find  it  hard  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  printer  will  set 
underscored  words  in  italics.  Therefore  it  is  wise  not  to  acquire 
the  habit.  It  may  not  be  the  fashion,  but  it  is  surely  the  ten- 
dency of  the  fashion,  to  discard  the  semi-colon  and  the  colon. 
Wherever  the  comma  can  serve  the  purpose  formerly  effected  by 
the  semi-colon,  preference  is  given  to  the  comma,  and  the  colon 
is  now  seldom  used  except  in  formally  introducing  quotations, 
extracts,  etc.  (By  the  way,  when  the  extract  or  quotation  thus 
introduced  contains  more  than  one  sentence,  a  new  paragraph 
should  begin  with  it,  but  if  only  one  sentence,  it  is  usually  "run 
in,"  as  the  printers  say.  If  the  new  paragraph  is  made,  the 
colon  is  followed  by  a  dash ;  if  not,  the  dash  is  omitted.)  If  the 
colon  and  semi-colon  are  used,  it  is  surely  worth  while  to  use 
them  intelligently,  and  not  indiscriminately,  for  their  object  is 
often  only  to  express  fine  shades  of  meaning,  and  this  requires  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  exact  significance  of  the  points  them- 
selves. Especially  obnoxious  is  the  habit  many  people  have,  of 
writing  these  points  so  carelessly  that  the  compositor  cannot  tell 
which  of  them  is  meant. 


5  8  Writing  for  the  Press. 


59.  The  best  way  to  learn  to  punctuate   is  to  take  a  well- 
printed  book  and  ask  yourself  the  significance  of  every  punctua- 
tion mark  in  as  many  of  its  pages  as  you  can  find  time  to  study. 
No  two  newspaper  offices  punctuate  alike.     The  best  way  for 
you  to  find  out  about  the  punctuation  of  the  paper  for  which  you 
write,  is  to  study  its  columns. 

PROOF-READING. 

60.  To  make  sure  that  printed  matter  shall  appear  as  you 
wrote  it,  or  as  you  want  it  to  appear,  you  must  stipulate  with  the 
printer  that  he  shall  show  you  a  "  proof,"  which  is  a  rough  print 
made  as  soon  as  the  type  is  set.     Unless  this  stipulation  is  made, 
you  can  make  no  just  complaint  if  errors  have  crept  in  and  been 
unobserved.     Newspapers  almost  never  submit  proofs  to  contri- 
butors outside  the  office  unless  they  are  especially  requested,  but 
the  request  will  be  almost  never  refused.     Job  printers,  too, 
seldom  send  proofs  voluntarily.     Some  of  the  magazines  send 
them   without  the   asking,   and    some    do   not.      Book  printers 
usually  take  the  trouble  to  consult  the  author's  wishes,  and  every 
wise  author  takes  the  chance  to  verify  his  work. 

61.  It  should  be  the  writer's  aim  to  have  his  copy  before  it 
leaves  his  hands,  just  as  he  wants  it  printed.     Changes  in  proof 
that  could  have  been  avoided  by  care  with  copy,  make  a  needless 
cost  and  a  sheer  waste  to  somebody.     If  the  writer  is  paying  the 
printer,  such  changes  are  at  the  writer's  expense,  and  they  often 
make  not  the  least  considerable  item  in  the  bill.     If  the  pub- 
lisher, whether  it  be  of  book,  magazine,  or  newspaper,  pays  the 
charges,  the  writer  that  has  been  careless,  inflicts  on  him  the 
unnecessary  loss.     Of  course  the  look  of  a  thing  in  print  is  often 
different  from  its  look  in  manuscript,  and  then  changes  may  be 


Writing  for  the  Press.  59 


pardonable,  but  it  is  the  duty  of  the  literary  workman  to  realize 
beforehand  how  the  types  will  make  his  sentences  read,  and  the 
better  workman  he  is,  the  less  work  will  he  make  the  printer. 

62.  The  first  proof  is  known  as  the  "  galley  proof,"  because 
it  is  taken  from  the  type  while  yet  in  the  "  galley,"  or  frame,  and 
not  made  up  into  pages.     The  printer's  proof-reader  corrects  on 
it  the  compositor's  errors,   and  if  they  are  many,  usually  has 
them  corrected  in  the  type  before  any  proof  is  submitted  to  the 
writer.     If  not,  the  writer  also  makes  his  changes  on  this  first 
proof. 

63.  After  the   type  has   been  corrected,  or  presumably  cor- 
rected, another  proof  is  taken,  known  as  the  "  revised  proof," 
or,  more  commonly,  the  "revise."     The  careful  and  particular 
writer  will  also  demand  a  look  at  this,  to  see  that  the  changes  he 
wanted  have  been  made.     In  fine  book  work,  a  third  and  even  a 
fourth  proof  is  sometimes  submitted,  but  every  new  proof  means 
of  course  added  expense  to  somebody.     After  the  last  "  revise  " 
has  been  returned,  if  it  is  proof  of  a  book  or  a  magazine  article, 
the  matter  is  made  up  into  pages,  and  then  "  page  proofs  "  are 
taken  which  it  is  desirable  the  author  should  see  for  fear  lest  in 
handling  the  type  some  lines  may  have  been  transposed,  or  some 
other   accident  have   happened.     Changes   in  page   proofs   are 
more  costly  than  in  galley  proofs,  for  if  they  consist  of  adding  or 
taking  out  more  than  a  few  words,  they  necessitate  "  making  up  " 
anew  at  least  two  pages  and  perhaps  several  more.     An  inex- 
perienced printer  may  neglect  to  send  any  proofs  till  the  matter 
has  been  made  up  into  pages,  and  it  will  do  no  hurt  always  to 
stipulate  that  galley  proofs  shall  be  submitted. 


.    6o 


Writing  for  the  Pre 


64.  Proof  is  read  in  the  printing^mce  by  two  persons,  one  who 
reads  the  proof  itself,  the  "  proofreader,"  and  one  who  reads  the 
copy,  the  "copy-holder^  In  book  offices  the  copy-holder  reads 
aloud  from  the  manuscript  while  the  proof-reader  looks  down 
the  proof.  In  newspaper  offices,  wh/  time  is  more  precious^and  ^ 

not  so  essential,  the  processis  usually  re-  )& 
versed,  the  copy^rT&kkr  being  the  listener.  *The  writer,  being  )( 
thoroughlyjfamiliar  with^the  subject  matter,  can  safely  read  proof         /     , 
by  himself,  but  where  figureVand  names  are  plenty, ^  will  find  w/, 3 

If  you  feel  obliged  to  strike    *A     / 

,/  out  a  single  word  from  proof  try  to  insert  another,  if  possible^/ 
'     about  the  same  length  and  in  the  same  line,  or  at  least  in  the 
f\    same  sentence.     If  you  make  a  new  paragraph  in  page  piuof, 
(/     take  out  some  wordo  or  oontence,,      The  insertion  of  several 
uJ&l  words,  or  the  eraswwi  of  several,  may  necessitate  the  re-arrang- 
ing of  many  lines  and  so  make  a  mighty  sort  of  trouble  if  the 
paragraphs  are*1ong  and  the  change  does  not  come  near  the  end 
of  one.  ^_^The  addition  or  subtraction/  of    words  enough  to 
make  an  even  line  does  little  harm,  exc/pt 


prnnfg 


in  a  cross-line  is  inserted  in  newspaper  proofs  .  try  to  take 
such  words  for  the  cross-line  that  th/next  worj  after  fs  one  tnat 
begins  a  line.  By  the  way,  the  proper  marks  for  such  cfppp  line 
£are  paragraph  marks  before  smd  after  the  words  to  make  it, 
with  a  continuous  line  drawn  binder  th^se  words  from  If  to  IF. 
The  best  newspaper  practice  is  to  have  these  cross-lines  not 
^  \/  Abreak,  i.  e.  to  take  only  enough  words  to  make  one  line  in  the 
heavy-faced  type  used  for/lhem^ 

66.     Never  hesitate  u»  use  the  proof  marks  GIVEN  HERE  OR  TO 
found  in  the  i4ar  ot  dictionaries.     They  will  be  understood 
>y  every  printer  who/knows  '  ' 
A 


r/ 

/ 


[EXPLANATIONS:  —  "Ital."  stands  for  Italics;  "  n  ",  indent;  "stet",  let  it  si 

i  ,1  i    .1        ,    •  i    _    .     i ..        IL_     .>?        7 „.*.,,,-.    .        iiV"        7svJ     7»f, 


dots  under  the  word  that  is  not  to  be  taken  c 


of   the  page.     The  other  marks  are  self- 


printing-office",  and  the  sentence  in  the  middle 


Writing  for  the  Press.  6 1 


64.  Proof  is  read  in  the  printing  office  by  two  persons,  one 
who.  reads  the  proof  itself,  the  '•' proof-reader,"  and  one  who 
reads  the  copy,  the  "  copy-holder."  In  book  offices  the  copy- 
holder reads  aloud  from  the  manuscript  while  the  proof-reader 
looks  down  the  proof.  In  newspaper  offices,  where  time  is  more 
precious  and  the  utmost  accuracy  not  so  essential,  the  process  is 
usually  reversed,  the  copy-holder  being  the  listener.  The  writer, 
being  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  subject  matter,  can  safely  read 
proof  by  himself,  but  where  figures  and  names  are  plenty,  he 
will  find  the  help  of  a  friend  useful. 

65  If  you  feel  obliged  to  strike  out  a  single  word  from  proof, 
try  to  insert  another,  if  possible  of  about  the  same  length  and 
in  the  same  line,  or  at  least  in  the  same  sentence.  The  inser- 
tion of  several  words,  or  the  erasure  of  several,  may  necessitate 
the  re-arranging  of  many  lines  and  so  make  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  if  the  paragraphs  are  long  and  the  change  does  not  come 
near  the  end  of  one.  The  addition  or  substraction  of  words 
enough  to  make  an  even  line  does  little  harm,  except  in  page 
proofs.  When  a  cross-line  is  inserted  in  newspaper  proofs,  try 
to  take  such  words  for  the  cross-line  that  the  next  word  after  is 
one  that  begins  a  line.  By  the  way,  the  proper  marks  for  such 
cross-line  are  paragraph  marks  before  and  after  the  words  to 
make  it,  with  a  continuous  line  drawn  under  those  words  from 
IT  to  If.  The  best  newspaper  practice  is  to  have  these  cross- 
lines  not  "break/'  i.  e.  to  take  only  enough  words  to  make  one 
line  in  the  heavy-faced  type  used  for  them. 

66.  NEVER  HESITATE  to  use  the  proof  marks  given  here  or 
to  be  found  in  the  rear  of  dictionaries.  They  will  be  under- 
stood by  every  printer. 


62  Writing  for  the  Press. 


67.  The  author  should  never  rub  out   proof  marks  with  an 
eraser,  but  if  he   wishes  to  cancel    them,   should  draw   a   line 
through  them. 

68.  When  the  proof-reader  is  in  doubt  about  some  change  or 
wishes  to  call  the  author's  attention  to  what  may  or  may  not  be 
an  error,  he  puts  a  question  mark,  ?,  or  Qy.,  for  "  Query,"  in  the 
margin,  next  the  mark  indicating  his  idea  of  the  desired  change, 
if  he  ventures  any.     In  that  case  it  is  the  author's  duty  in  the 
first  place  to  draw  a  line  through  the  ?  or  Qy.,  to  show  that  he 
has  noticed  it.     If  he  wants   the    proof-reader's   suggestion  to 
stand,  he  does  nothing  to  it,  the  line  through  the  ?  or  Qy.  being 
approval  enough.     If  he  disapproves  the  correction,  he  draws  a 
line  through  that7 also. 

69.  Book,  magazine,  and  job  printers  usually  submit  the  copy 
with  the  proof,  and  when  this  is  done  the  copy  should  always  be 
returned  with   the    proof.      If  the  first    proof  is  sent  with  the 
"  revise,"  or  if  two  proofs  are  sent,  one  with  the  proof-reader's 
corrections  and   the  other  for  the  writer's,  both  should  be  re- 
turned. 

70.  It  is  better  to  correct  proofs  with  ink  than  with  pencil, 
especially  when  they  are  to  be  sent  to  a  distance,  as  pencil  marks 
are  likely  to  become  illegible. 

NEWSPAPER  WRITING. 

71.  First  of  all,  study  the  columns  of  the  paper  for  which  you 
write.     Note  the  system  by  which  the  styles  of  type  are  used. 
Mark  the  position  of  dates ;   the  way  letters  to  the  editor  are 
addressed  ;  the  use  of  "  sub-heads  "  and  "cross-lines;"  the  style 


Writing  for  the  Press.  -  63 


of  punctuation  and  capitalization;  and  the  many  other  points  on 
which  uniformity  is  desirable.  Every  newspaper  has  definite 
forms  for  summaries  of  sporting  matters,  such  as  base-ball  and 
cricket  games,  trotting  and  running  races,  lacrosse  and  polo 
matches.  Note  the  forms  used  in  the  paper  for  which  you  write, 
and  always  follow  them.  Shipping  news,  market  reports,  and 
other  department  matter  is  often  formulated. 

72.  Every  well-ordered  composing-room  has  wbat  is  called  its 
•'•  style,"  i.  e.,  its  system  of  printing  words  that  maybe  printed  in 
two  or  more  ways.     For  instance,  Boston's  chief  thoroughfare 
may  be  printed  "Washington  Street," '•  Washington  street,"  or 
"  Washington  St."     The  paper  for  which  you  write,  will  always 
print  it  in  one  way,  and  you  will  save  somebody  time  and  trouble 
if  you  will  notice  what  that  way  is,  and  write  it  so  in  the  first 
place.     Some  offices  spell  out  figures  up  to  fifty,  and  use  the 
Arabic  numerals  for  higher  figures  ;  e.  g  ,  "  thirty-seven,"  "87." 
Notice  where  the  change  is  made  from  letters  to  figures  in  the 
paper  for  which  you  write.     It  is  in  the  matter  of  abbreviations 
that  observation  on  this  point  is  most  desirable. 

73.  Put  your  name  on  everything  you  write,  at  the  top  of  the 
first  sheet. 

74.  Date  everything  sent  by  mail,  messenger,  or  telegraph. 
Whenever  anything  is  dated,  use  tenses,  the  words  "  to-day," 
"  yesterday,"  etc.,  in  reference    to   the    date.     When  it  is  not 
dated,  use  them  in  reference  to  the  date  on  which  the  matter  is 
to  be  printed.     If  matter  be  intended  for  use  on  any  special  day, 
such  as  Sunday,  or  in  any  special  department,  such  as  the  sport- 
ing department,  always  make  a  note  of  it  on  the  envelope. 


64  Writing  for  the  Press. 


75.  Everything  in  the  nature  of  news  should  be  sent  or  given 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment  to    the    editor  who  is  to  take 
charge  of  it.     Nowhere  else  is  time  so  precious  as  in  the  news- 
paper office. 

76.  Whenever  time  permits,  read  over  what  you  have  written 
before  any  one  else  sees  it ;  never  act  on  the  principle  that  as 
some  one  else  is  to  edit  it,  you  need  not  exercise  care.     After 
the  matter  appears  in  the  newspaper,  read  it  over  to  see  what 
changes  have  been  made,  that  any  errors  you  have  committed 
may  never  be  repeated. 

77.  Write  your  own  head-lines  whenever  you  well  can,  except 
when  matter  is  sent  by  telegraph.     Note  the  number  of  letters 
in  the  different  head-lines  and  model  your  own  thereby.     If  you 
do  not  write  your  own  "head,"  leave  space  enough  for  it  at  the 
top  of  the  first  sheet. 

78.  Editors  often  find  it  hard  to  judge  of  the  relative  value  of 
news  items  sent  by  mail  from  a  remote  city  or  town,  and  if  lack 
of  room  makes  it  necessary  that  some  shall  be  omitted,  the  deci- 
sion is  made  easier  if  the  important  items  are  designated  by  a 
note  on  the  margin  or  on  a  separate  sheet      A  story  that  can  wait 
as  well  as  not  should  be  marked,  "When  Room,"  on  the  top  of 
the  first  page.     Anything  of  especial  consequence  that  the  cor- 
respondent believes  no  other  paper  will  get,  may  well  be  marked, 
"  Exclusive." 

79.  In  measuring  copy  or  printed  matter  it  is  safe  for  news- 
paper purposes  to  assume  that  the  average  number  of  words  in  a 
line  found  by  counting  the  number  in  a  few  lines,  is  the  correct 


Writing  for  the  Press.  65 


average  for  the  whole  thing.  The  number  of  words  may  always 
be  estimated  ;  no  editor  demands  an  exact  count.  Therefore  in 
measuring  slips  for  making  out  bills,  it  is  safe  to  count  the  words 
in  any  inch  and  multiply  by  the  number  of  inches.  Compound 
words  count  as  two  words.  When  an  editor  orders  1000  words,  he 
means  an  article  that  will  fill  about  the  space  that  1000  ordinary 
words  would  occupy.  The  lines  in  most  newspapers  average  be- 
tween seven  and  eight  words.  The  news  columns  of  most  news- 
papers are  set  in  nonpareil,  and  there  are  twelve  nonpareil  lines 
to  the  inch.  The  columns  are  usually  between  twenty  and  twenty- 
four  inches  long,  so  that  the  number  of  words  in  a  news  column 
ranges  from  1600  to  2400.  It  is  the  custom  to  speak  of  2000 
words  of  news  matter  as  a  column,  and  many  papers  pay  on  that 
basis.  Editorial  matter,  being  set  in  larger  type  and  leaded,  will 
range  between  1000  and  1500  words  to  the  column.  It  will  be 
found  useful  to  remember  that  ordinary  type-writer  copy  averages 
almost  exactly  twelve  words  to  the  line. 

80.  Never  address  an  article  intended  for  publication  to  any 
particular  person  connected  with  a  newspaper,  unless  it  requires 
his  personal  notice  before  it  goes  to  the  printers.  The  most  com- 
mon blunder  is  to  address  news  packages  to  the  managing  editor, 
using  his  name  and  not  that  of  his  position.  If  the  paper  prints 
both  morning  and  evening  editions,  the  chances  are  even  that  the 
news  will  be  delayed  twelve  hours,  for  no  managing  editor  is  on 
duty  more  than  half  of  the  twenty-four.  The  envelope  should 
be  marked  "  News,"  and  then  it  is  best  not  to  put  the  managing 
editor's  name  on  it,  for,  if  he  ought  to  look  it  over,  it  will  get  to 
him  anyway,  and  if  there  is  no  need  of  his  seeing  it,  chance  of 
delay  will  be  avoided. 


66  Writing  for  the  Press. 

8 1.  C.  M.  Hammond  gave  good  advice  in  The  Writer  to  writ- 
ers who  wish  to  submit  manuscripts  in  newspaper  offices  where 
they  are  not  regularly  employed.     Said  he  :  — 

"  You  gain  nothing  and  lose  much  by  calling  on  the  editor 
personally  with  your  articles.  If  he  be  an  editor  who  amounts 
to  anything,  he  is  always  busy  in  office  hours.  He  has  no  time 
to  talk  with  you  or  listen  to  your  explanations.  He  wishes  you 
hadn't  called,  and  he  is  prejudiced  against  you  and  whatever  you 
may  have  written.  He  would  rather  treat  with  you  by  means  of 
the  mail.  It  saves  time  and  annoyance,  and  you  are  sure  of 
being  used  as  well." 

82.  Never  put  an  editorial  opinion  into  a  news  paragraph. 
Never  allow  personal  feeling  to  bias  what  you  write.     Never 
write  anything  the  authorship  of  which  you  would  not  be  willing 
to  own.     Never  write    anything  that  you  would  not  like  your 
mother,  your  sister,  or  your  child  to  read. 

£3.  If  you  cannot  say  anything  good  of  a  man  or  thing,  say 
as  little  as  possible  unless  the  public  good  requires  the  contrary. 
Tell  the  truth.  Make  every  effort  to  be  accurate  in  every  partic- 
ular. False  statements  may  end  in  libel  suits.  An  enovmous 
responsibility  rests  on  every  writer  for  the  press.  A  single  piece 
of  carelessness,  a  single  credited  rumor  may  ruin  some  man's 
life.  The  newspaper  makes  and  unmakes  reputations.  Honor 
and  justice  demand  the  greatest  care  in  the  exercise  of  what  is 
unquestionably  the  most  tremendous  power  of  modern  times. 

84.  The  Cincinnati  Enquire?'  added  to  the  reprint  in  its  columns 
of  the  first  edition  of  this  book  some  directions  for  its  own  cor- 


Writing  for  the  Press.  67 


respondents,  of  which  these  may  be  profitably  read  by  any  writer 
for  the  press  :  — 

"  It  is  assumed  that  every  woman  whose  name  is  written  in 
copy  intended  for  publication,  is  beautiful  or  handsome  or  lovely 
or  all  three.  Therefore,  it  is  unnecessary  to  mention  that  any 
person  is  either. 

"  Always  tell  the  truth,  no  matter  who  is  hurt  or  helped. 

"  Remember  that  as  a  correspondent  of  the  Enquirer  you  oc- 
cupy a  place  of  great  responsibility  and  trust.  Do  not  try  to  use 
it  to  injure  any  one.  Do  not  try  to  punish  any  person  you  may 
dislike.  He  has  rights,  even  if  you  don't  like  him.  Always  aim 
to  be  absolutely  impartial  and  just.  In  this  way  you  can  best 
serve  the  Enquirer  and  elevate  the  noble  profession  of  journal- 
ism. You  preach  to  more  people  in  the  Enquirer  every  morning 
than  any  minister  addresses  in  a  yeaF.  Your  influence  for  good 
may  be  boundless  ;  for  evil,  equally  great.  Remember  this,  and 
be  careful  and  sure.  If  you  are  right,  let  no  man  or  men  frighten 
you  from  your  position." 

TELEGRAPH   CORRESPONDENCE. 

85.  Never  send  a  telegraph  despatch  to  any  paper  unless  (a) 
you  have  general  authority  to  do  it,  (£)  you  have  received  speci- 
fic instructions,  or  (c)  the  pressure  of  time  and  the  importance  of 
the  news  seem  to  you  to  warrant  your  proceeding  without  author- 
ity or  instructions. 

(a)  An  appointment  as  a  regular  correspondent  of  a  news- 
paper does  not  as  a  rule  convey  authority  to  use  the  telegraph 
without  specific  instruction  in  each  instance. 

(b)  If  the  correspondent  knows  in  advance  of  some  impor- 
tant meeting,  celebration,  or  other  affair  that  cannot  be  reported 


68  Writing  jor  the  Press. 

in  time  by  mail,  he  should  write  to  his  editor  and  ask  for  instruc- 
tions. If  time  will  not  allow  that,  or  if  the  news  is  of  the  unex- 
pected sort,  like  the  news  of  a  murder,  fire,  explosion,  or  other 
catastrophe,  the  request  for  instructions  should  be  made  by  wire, 
in  which  case  it  is  known  as  a  "bulletin"  or  "query."  Few 
papers  of  consequence  are  unwilling  to  pay  the  telegraph  tolls  on 
bulletins,  whether  sent  by  regular  or  unknown  correspondents, 
but  still  an  unknown  correspondent  has  to  run  some  risk  of  hav- 
ing to  pay  these  tolls.  Despatches  sent  without  bulletins  by  un- 
known correspondents  are  almost  invariably  returned  to  the 
sender  for  payment,  when  not  accepted,  and  most  papers  also 
make  it  a  rule  with  regular  correspondents  to  return  for  payment 
of  tolls  matter  sent  without  a  bulletin  and  not  printed.  Some 
editors  always  make  a  reply  to  bulletins,  either  accepting  or  de- 
clining, but  many  do  not,  $nd  the  rule  is  that  no  reply  means 
"No." 

(c)  Important  news  secured  late  is  often  sent  without  bulletin, 
but  seldom  profitably  by  inexperienced  telegraph  correspondents. 
Few  kinds  of  newspaper  work  require  better  judgment  or  more 
skill.  Regular  correspondents  can  usually  send  safely  without 
bulletins  despatches  of  100  words  or  less.  In  the  case  of  a  long 
story  that  the  correspondent  has  no  time  to  bulletin,  he  often 
sends  his  first  sheet  of  copy  to  the  telegraph  office  a  little  ahead 
of  the  rest,  and  prefaces  the  story  with  a  sentence  like  this  : 
"One  thousand  words  on  -  — .  Stop  if  you  do  not  want." 
Then  if  the  editor  does  not  want  it,  he  can  stop  it  before  more 
than  one  sheet  has  been  sent. 

86.  Do  not  send  more  words  than  are  ordered  unless  you  are 
unusually  positive  that  your  knowledge  of  facts  or  the  develop- 


Writing  for  the  Press.  69 

merits  after  the  bulletin  was  sent,  make  your  judgment  better 
than  the  editor's,  whose  knowledge  is  of  course  limited  by  the 
bulletin.  Remember  that  his  order  is  often  determined  by  the 
space  available  or  by  other  considerations  of  which  you  know 
nothing.  A  variation  from  his  order  of  one-tenth  the  number  of 
words  one  way  or  the  other  will  seldom  be  censured. 

87.  Every  correspondent  should  learn  at  what  hours  the  dif- 
ferent editions  of  his  paper  go  to  press.     He  should  always  allow 
time  enough  to  get  his  despatches  "  through,"  and  remember  here 
as  always  that  time  is   an  all-important  factor.     The  earlier  a 
despatch  is  filed,  the  more  likely  it  is  to  get  printed.     In  sending 
despatches  to  a  paper  at  a  distance,  do  not  forget  to  take  into 
account  the  difference  in  time.     Correspondents  should  never 
order  matter  for  morning  papers  sent  before  6  o'clock,  though  it 
may  be  filed  at  the  telegraph  office  earlier  with  instructions  to 
send  after  that  hour,  thus  securing  night  rates. 

88.  When  long  despatches  are  filed  at  the  telegraph  office 
where  several  wires  can  be  secured,  time  will  be  saved  if  the  order 
is  given,  "  Send  by  letters,"  and  the  despatch  is  divided  into  three 
or  more  parts,  with  pages  numbered  respectively,  "  la,  2a,  3a," 
etc.,  "  ib,  2b,  3b,"  etc.,  "  ic,  2C,  30,"  etc. 

89.  Instructions  to  the  operator,  written  at  the  beginning  of 
the  despatch,  will  secure  attention  to  paragraph  marks. 

90.  Telegraph  correspondents  should  always  sign  their  full 
names  to  despatches,  and  not  simply  their  initials  or  surnames. 
When  correspondents  employ  substitutes  to  send  despatches,  the 


jo  Writing  for  the  Press. 

name  of  the  regular  correspondent,  and  not  that  of   the  substi- 
tute, should  be  signed. 

91.  Few  big  papers  now  want  despatches  "  skeletonized,"  i.  e. 
sent  with  the  articles  and  other  minor  words  omitted.     If  cor- 
responding for  a  small  paper  get  instructions  beforehand  on  this 
point 

92.  The  following  extracts  are  from  articles  by  William  H. 
Hills  in  The  Writer  for  April,  May,  and  June,  1887  :  - 

"  Always  begin  your  story  with  a  short,  strong  sentence.  Come 
to  the  point  at  once.  Don't  waste  words  telling  what  you  are 
going  to  tell.  Go  ahead  and  tell  it.  What  you  want  is  to  inter- 
est your  reader  at  the  outset,  and  if  your  story  is  going  to  interest 
him  at  all,  the  main  fact  put  at  the  beginning  simply  and  strong- 
ly will  attract  his  attention  quicker  than  anything  else. 

"  Don't  get  the  idea  into  your  head  that  because  a  sentence  is 
simple  it  must  be  commonplace. 

"  Do  away  utterly  with  the  idea  that  writing  a  special  despatch, 
to  be  sent  by  telegraph  to  a  paper  1500  miles  away,  is  essentially 
different  from  writing  a  story  to  be  printed  in  your  own  city. 

"  You  may  gain  a  temporary  advantage  by  exaggeration  and 
untruthful  ness  ;  but,  in  the  long  run,  you  will  find  that  honesty  is 
the  best  policy  for  the  special  correspondent,  as  it  is  for  most 
other  people.  Be  truthful,  then,  in  writing  your  despatches.  At 
the  same  time  make  them  as  picturesque  and  entertaining  as  you 
can,  avoiding  the  common-place  and  trying  always  to  look  at 
your  subject  from  some  novel  point  of  view. 

"  Study  the  style  of  the  paper  to  which  you  are  telegraphing. 
Notice  how  much  space  it  gives  daily  to  telegraph  news.  Notice 


Writing  for  the  Press.  7  1 

with  what  sort  of  news  that  space  is  filled.  Notice  what  kinds  of 
despatches  are  printed  in  full,  and  what  kinds  of  despatches  are 
condensed  to  a  paragraph.  Notice,  more  than  anything  else,  the 
disposition  of  the  despatches  you  yourself  may  send." 

TYPOGRAPHICAL    AND    MISCELLANEOUS. 

93.  Everybody  knows  that  books  are  printed  in  sheets,  with 
several  pages  on  a  sheet,  but  everybody  does  not  know  that  these 
sheets  are  called  "  signatures."  The  name  comes  from  the  "  sig- 
nature" or  sign  at  the  bottom  of  the  sheet,  put  there  chiefly  as 
an  aid  to  the  binder,  the  various  sheets  of  a  book  being  num- 
bered (i),  (2),  (3),  etc.,  or  (A),  (B),  (C),  etc  ,  or  by  combinations 
of  letters  and  figures.  On  each  signature  are  printed  as  a  rule 
four  pages,  or  some  multiple  of  four.  A  signature  of  four  pages 
is  known  as  a  folio,  being  made  by  folding  the  sheet  once.  ^  Fold 
it  again  and  a  quarto  is  the  result,  bearing  eight  pages.  Fold  it 
a  third  time  and  you  have  an  octavo,  with  sixteen  pages.  Still 
another  fold  makes  a  i6mo.,  with  thirty-two  pages.  The  fifth  fold 
makes  a  32/720.,  with  sixty-four  pages.  The  sheets  of  few  books 
are  folded  more  than  this,  but  occasionally  a  6$mo.,  or  even  a 
is  seen. 


Years  ago  when  books  were  printed  on  the  hand  press,  the  al- 
most invariable  size  of  printing  paper  was  20X24  inches.  Then 
the  terms  folio,  quarto,  etc.,  had  an  exact  significance,  the  size 
of  the  folio  page  being  of  course  half  that  of  the  sheet,  or  20X12; 
the  quarto  was  half  that,  or  12X10;  and  so  on,  the  octavo,  10 
X6  ;  1  6  mo.,  when  square,  6X5,  when  oblong,  7X4^  ;  32  mo., 
5X3-  When  the  quarto  sheet  was  folded  twice  instead  of  once, 
a  \2.mo.  (duodecimo]  was  made,  with  dimensions  8X5.  If  the 


72  Writing  for  the  Press. 

sheet  was  folded  so  as  to  carry  36  pages,  it  was  an  i8mo.,  with 
each  page  6^X4.  but  that  size  is  no  longer  used.  Nowadays 
all  these  terms  have  come  to  lose  their  exactness,  for  with  the 
cylinder  press  the  size  of  the  paper  may  suit  the  whim  of  the 
publisher,  and  of  course  every  change  in  the  size  of  the  sheet 
changes  the  size  of  each  page.  So  it  is  no  longer  possible  for 
even  an  expert,  by  a  glance  at  a  page,  to  tell  the  size  of  the  book. 
He  can  determine  it  quickly,  however,  by  counting  the  leaves 
from  one  signature  to  the  next. 

People  dealing  with  printers  often  have  occasion  to  remember 
that  24  sheets  make  a  quire,  and  20  quires,  or  480  sheets,  make  a 
ream.  Sometimes,  but  not  generally,  25  sheets  are  put  in  a  quire, 
making  500  to  the  ream.  Printers  in  their  reckoning  must  take 
account  of  the  waste  in  getting  the  forms  on  the  press,  and  in  bad 
impressions.  So  they  often  reckon  a  ream  as  19  quires,  allowing 
the  other  2  4  sheets  for  waste.  Paper  is  sold  either  by  the  pound 
or  ream.  If  designated  as,  for  instance,  "22X324-40,"  the 
meaning  is  that  each  sheet  is  22X32  inches  and  that  one  ream 
weighs  40  pounds.  Such  a  paper,  of  the  grade  found  in  first-class 
trade  papers,  now  costs  about  seven  cents  a  pound.  Magazine 
and  book  papers  run  slightly  above  this  price,  and  news  paper 
is  of  course  a  good  deal  cheaper. 

Type  is  measured  by  "  ems,"  the  name  coming  from  the  por- 
tion of  a  printed  line  formerly  occupied  by  the  letter  "  m."  The 
size  of  the  em  of  course  varies  with  the  size  of  the  type.  Print- 
ers have  by  common  consent  made  that  size  known  as  "  pica  " 
the  standard  of  the  printing  office. 

This  line  is  set  in  pica,  and  1 1  is  the  size  of  a  pica 
em.  Until  very  recently,  hardly  any  two  type  foundries  agreed 


Writing  for  the  Press.  73 


exactly  in  the  sizes  of  their  type.  Now,  however,  what  is  known 
as  the  "point"  system  is  coming  into  general  use,  and  is  doing 
as  much  for  typography  as  the  metrical  measure  is  doing  for 
measures  in  general.  Under  the  new  system  the  "  point  "  has 
dimensions  just  one-twelfth  those  of  the  standard  pica  em.  Set 
in  a  row,  867  points  would  measure  one  foot.  Of  course  no 
i-point  type  is  made,  but  the  measure  is  used  for  the  thickness  of 
the  thinnest  leads. 

Pearl  is  the  smallest  type  of  any  practical  use  in  printing.  It 
is  seldom  seen  outside  of  very  small  Bibles.  A  pearl  em  is  five 
points  square,  and  so  the  type  is  coming  to  be  known  as  5-point. 

Agate  is  the  smallest  type  seen  in  newspapers.  It  is  often 
used  in  advertisements  and  some  papers  also  use  it  for  extracts, 
letters  embodied  in  articles,  and  tabular  matter.  Agate  is 
5^-point  type. 

Nonpareil  is  the  smallest  type  used  for  the  body  of  newspapers, 
and  probably  more  big  dailies  are  set  in  it  than  in  anything  else. 
In  book-work  its  use  is  very  general  for  tabular  matter,  side-notes, 
and  foot-notes.  Many  papers  set  the  news  matter  in  solid  non- 
pareil, and  their  editorials  in  leaded  nonpareil.  It  is  6-point 
type. 

Minion  is  most  found  in  newspapers,  being  used  by  most  of  the 
big  papers  that  do  not  use  nonpareil.  It  is  a  favorite  type  for 
editorial  paragraphs.  A  minion  em  cast  on  the  new  system 
measures  7  points. 

Brevier  is  more  used  than  any  other  size.  Most  weekly  papers 
and  almost  all  trade  and  class  papers  use  it,  and  the  paper-cov- 


74  Writing  for  the  Press. 

ered  ''libraries  "  are  set  in  it.  It  is  the  8-point  type,  and  there- 
fore in  advertisements  and  job-work  is  a  favorite,  because,  as  the 
printers  say,  it  "justifies  "  well,  i.  e.,  can  easily  be  made  to  fit 
with  type  of  other  sizes. 

Bourgeois  is  the  favorite  size  for  magazines,  and  it  is  used  by 
most  of  those  printed  in  this  country.  The  printer  dislikes  it, 
partly  because  it  will  not  justify  with  other  sizes,  partly  because 
it  is  so  likely  to  get  mixed  with  brevier.  It  is  the  g-point  type. 

Long  Primer  is  the  customary  type  for  book-work.  Almost  all 
the  standard  editions  of  fiction  are  printed  from  it,  and  it  is  much 
used  for  text-books  and  poetry.  It  is  the  lo-point  type.  This, 
book  is  set  in  long  primer. 

Small  Pica  is  mainly  used  for  city  and  town  documents,  law 
books,  and  law  reports.  It  is  the  type  of  the  North  American 
Review  and  the  principal  quarterlies.  It  measures  n  points. 

Pica  is  found  most  commonly  in  standard  histories,  sermons, 
and  addresses.  It  is  the  largest  size  much  used  in  book-work,, 
though  English  and  Great  Primer  may  often  be  seen  in  prayer- 
books,  the  Bible,  and  books  for  children.  The  pica  em  measures 
12  points,  is  0.166  of  an  inch  square,  and  sets  a  little  more  than 
72  ems  to  the  foot. 

To  find  the  number  of  ems  of  a  given  type  in  a  given  space, 
first  divide  the  area  of  the  space  in  square  inches  by  0.0138, 
which  will  give  the  number  of  points.  Dividing  that  by  6  will 
give  the  number  of  6-point  or  nonpareil  ems  ;  by  8,  the  brevier 
ems;  10,  the  long-prirner  ems  ;  etc.,  etc.  The  number  of  ems  in 
a  square  inch  is  the  same  whether  the  matter  is  set  solid  or  with 
leads.  The  following  tables  presume  that  the  type  is  set  solid: — 


Writing  for  the  Press. 


75: 


X^o 

w? 

•43U3JIJ  3uO-[ 

VO    N  00 

M   VO 

•EDIJ 

10  O  vo^ 

•sioaSjnog 

^ 

•BOIJ  TTBUIS 

^H 

M      10 

coco 

ABLE. 

•jaiAsag 

O\   M     10 
M      10 

W 
j 

•J9UIUJ  Suoq 

O    co  "* 
CO  co 

H 

M 

PQ 

h 

NNSNSOT 

< 

\N 

Z 

•uomipj 

^^^ 

h 

uaiAaag 

00  vO    CO 

M 

M    * 

h 
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H 
PS 

D 

CO 

,,^dMN 

vO  OO    co 

£* 

W 

H 

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M 

10  04 

W 

D 

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GQ 

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. 

ti 

NC^\^^^- 

W 

w 

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t-3  °  M 

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H        W 

C/3     CJ   ^^ 

C    C    (j 

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£ 

h 

a 

"o  *o  *o 

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s 

660* 

6  o"  6 

7  6  Writing  for  the  Press. 

To  find  the  weight  of  type  required  to  set  up  any  given  amount 
of  matter,  divide  by  four  the  number  of  square  inches  of  matter; 
the  quotient  will  be  the  approximate  weight.  As  it  is  impossible 
to  use  all  the  type  in  the  cases  and  come  out  even,  it  is  the  cus- 
tom to  add  from  25  to  33  per  cent,  for  the  type  that  will  be  left 
over.  Speaking  broadly,  the  type  mostly  used  in  book- work  costs 
about  50  cents  a  pound  ;  nonpareil  costs  from  60  to  65,  and 
agate  from  70  to  75  cents  a  pound. 

Composition  is  usually  paid  for  by  the  piece,  the  standard 
being  1000  ems.  The  cost  to  the  man  who  owns  his  own  plant 
ranges  from  25  cents  a  thousand  for  girls  in  weekly  paper  and 
some  book  offices,  to  50  cents  for  men  in  big  daily  newspaper 
offices.  The  printer's  price  to  the  publisher  or  author  is  ordi- 
narily 60  cents  a  thousand  on  plain  work,  for  besides  the  com- 
position he  has  to  pay  for  his  foreman,  imposition  (or  stone 
work),  proof-readers,  rent,  wear  of  material,  interest,  etc.  , 

The  cost  of  press-work  varies  greatly  in  different  places  and 
on  different  work.  Speaking  broadly,  it  may  be  said  to  run  from 
50  cents  to  $1.00  a  token,  which  is  500  impressions.  A  i6mo. 
book  of  192  pages,  printed  32  pages  at  a  time,  or  with  32  pages 
in  each  "form,"  as  the  printers  say,  would  take  six  impressions 
to  a  book,  or  6qo  impressions,  12  tokens,  if  the  edition  was 
1000.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  press-work  is  one  of  the  smaller 
items  of  expense  in  most  of  the  books  printed. 

Binding,  too,  is  an  item  that  varies  greatly,  but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  the  cloth  bindings  of  the  greater  part  of  the  books  most 
sold  cost  about  20  cents  each. 

From  these  figures  it  will  be  possible  for  any  one  to  make  a 
rough  estimate  of  the  cost  of  printing  a  book,  pamphlet,  maga- 


Writing  for  the  Press.  7  7 

zine,  or  class  paper.  Few  publishers  outside  of  the  newspaper 
offices  now  do  the  whole  work  of  printing.  •  Few  book  publishers 
now  do  any  of  it.  Newspaper  publishers,  however,  are  still  as  a 
rule  their  own  printers,  in  the  big  cities  because  the  papers  are 
so  big  and  time  is  so  scarce  that  the  work  must  all  be  done  in 
the  office,  in  the  small  places  because  there  are  no  other  offices 
to  do  the  work.  So  the  newspaper  publisher  has  to  add  to  the 
foregoing  expense  that  of  a  press,  which  may  cost  anywhere  from 
$60  to  $6000,  and  for  the  bigger  dailies,  more  yet.  Probably  the 
average  first  cost  of  the  newspaper  presses  of  the  country  was 
not  far  from  $2000.  The  "plant  "of  a  newspaper,  outside  of 
press  and  power,  may  cost  from  $100  to  $10,000,  still  barring  the 
big  dailies,  and  for  the  weekly  or  small  daily  paper  probably 
averages  to  cost  about  $1000,  leaving  out  the  job  department. 

The  introduction  of  "  patent  insides  "  and  "  plate  matter  "  has 
in  recent  years  made  a  great  change  in  the  newspaper  world, 
having  greatly  cheapened  the  cost  of  publication,  to  say  nothing 
of  its  effect  on  the  condition  and  conditions  of  writers  for  the 
press.  Another  still  more  important  change  is  impending,  and 
it  is  one  that  will  affect  not  only  the  newspapers,  but  also  the 
magazine  and  the  book  world.  The  perfecting  of  type-setting 
machinery  bids  fair  to  make  a  revolution  in  the  world  of  letters. 
Just  what  its  effect  on  the  writers  will  be,  no  man  can  foretell, 
but  it  seems  clear  that  the  pen  is  to  be  still  more  potent,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  journalist  is  to  spread  still  wider,  the  mind  of  the 
author  is  to  have  still  more  effect  in  swaying  the  passions  and 
the  beliefs  of  the  world.  The  writer  for  the  press,  then,  should 
work  still  harder  to  acquire  the  skill  for  using  his  powers  to  their 
best  advantage.  The  competitors  will  be  more  numerous,  the 
prize  will  be  greater,  and  though  it  may  not  be  won  by  perfec- 
tion of  detail,  it  cannot  be  won  without  that  perfection. 


A  PARTIAL  LIST  OF  BOOKS 
About  Writing,  or  Useful  to  Writers, 

-(The  name  and  city  of  the  publisher  ends  each  item,  "  N.  Y."  standing  for 
New  York  City.     The  publishers  will  send  any  book  post-    . 
paid  on  receipt  of  the  price  stated.) 


HISTORICAL  AND  PHILOLOGICAL. 

CORSON'S  HAND-BOOK  OF  ANGLO-SAXON  EARLY  ENGLISH.  $2.00, 
Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  N.  Y. 

EARLE'S  PHILOLOGY  OF  THE  ENGLISH  TONGUE.  i6mo.  $1.75.  Mac- 
millan  &  Co.,  N.  Y. 

GARLANDA'S  FORTUNES  OF  WORDS.  Cloth,  i2mo.  $1.35.  A.  Lovell 
&  Co.,  N.  Y. 

GARLANDA'S  PHILOSOPHY  OF  WORDS.  A  Popular  Introduction  to  the 
Science  of  Language.  Cloth,  I2mo.  $1.35.  A.  Lovell  &  Co.,  N.  Y. 

LOUNSBURY'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE:  $o.So.  Henry 
Holt  &  Co.,  N.  Y. 

MARCH'C  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE.  Method  of  Philological  Study  of  the 
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PITMAN'S  (BENN.)  PHONOGRAPHIC  SERIES.  Manual,  boards,  $0.80; 
extra  cloth,  $1.00;  Reader,  paper,  $0.25;  Second  Reader,  paper,  $0.25; 
Reporter's  Companion,  boards,  $1.00;  extra  cloth,  $1.25;  Reporter's  First 
Reader,  paper,  $0.25;  Phonographic  Dictionary,  extra  cloth,  $2.00  ;  Phrase 
Book,  extra  cloth,  $1.00.  Phonographic  Institute,  Cincinnati. 

TORREY'S  PRACTICAL  PLAN  OF  INSTRUCTION  IN  SHORTHAND.  29  sheets. 
$1.00.  Fowler  &  Wells  Co.,  N.  Y. 

WATSON'S  PHONOGRAPHIC  INSTRUCTOR.  An  Improved  Method  of 
Teaching  Shorthand.  Cloth.  $2.00.  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  N.  Y. 

VIII 


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'*.**.    vri.iiv-.ri  j 

LOAN  DEPT. 

~~        "  ' — ; — — _____ . 


.  General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


